MY  LADY  LEGEND. 


°»I7.  OF  CALIF.  LIBRARY,  LOS  AHGEUCS 


MY   LADY   LEGEND 


AND  OTHER 
FOLK  TALES   FROM  THE   NORTH 


TRANSLATED  FROM  THE  SWEDISH  OF 
ALBREKT  SEGERSTEDT 


BY 
ANNA  VON   RYDINGSVARD 

{Baroness  von  Proschwitz) 


WITH   AN    INTRODUCTION    BY   THE    AUTHOR    ADDRESSED 
TO   AMERICAN    READERS. 


BOSTON 

D   LOTHROP   COMPANY 

WASHINGTON   STREET  OPPOSITE  BROMFIBLD 


COPrRIGHT,  1891, 

BY 
D.  LOTUROP  COMPANT. 


5o  (ny  (Husband 

I  DEDICATE   THESE   LEGENDS 

FROM   HIS   NATIVE 

"  SAGA   LAND." 


2132595 


CONTENTS. 


MY  LADY  LEGEND 9 

LASSE'S  FUR  OVERCOAT 14 

THE  FLOWER  BULB 19 

THE  THREE  WISHES 20 

THE  CHRISTMAS  SPRUCE-TREE  ....  25 

THE  OLD  FOOT-STOOLS 30 

THE  EMPEROR,  THE  COURTIER  AND  THE  PEASANT  36 

THE  SWEET-BRIER  ROSE 44 

STIXGY-MANS 46 

THE  FOREST  TREES 57 

THE  ANGEL  OF  THE  FLOWERS          ...  60 
THE   OLD  WOMAN   WHO  WANTED   IT   FINE   IN 

THE    COT 65 

THE  LITTLE  SPARROW 70 

A  TRUE  STORY 72 

THE  BIRD'S  CHOICE 79 

THE  RARE  PORRIDGE       .....  81 

THE  STORY  OF  UNCLE  NISSE    ....  86 
THE    KING,  THE    MILLER   AND    THE   MILLER'S 

PALLE                                                 .            .  93 


CONTENTS. 

THE    STORY    OF    THE    SEED-DOWN"          .  .  .  100 

THE  LITTLE  BIRCH-TREE  .         .        .         .  107 

MOTHER  MAJA-STINA'S  JACKET        .        .        .  109 

THE  FORGOTTEN  ONE 114 

THE  HEATHER  .......  117 

FROM  MINE  AND  FORGE 119 

KING  ALARIK  AND  PRINCESS  DUNSA  .  .  125 
"THOU  WERT  RIGHT,  LITTLE  DOVE"  .  .  131 
PER  JONSSON'S  BOOT  TRADE  ....  134 
THE  OLD  SECRETARY'S  CHRISTMAS  EVE  .  .  140 
THE  PINE  AND  THE  FLAX  ....  146 
THE  DIAMOND  AND  THE  GLASS  BIT  .  .  149 
THE  OLD  MAN,  OLD  WOMAN,  AND  THE  WIND- 
MILL   155 

GOLDILOCKS 157 

WHEN  THE  SUN  RISES 167 

THE  SWALLOWS         .         .         .         .         .         .  170 

A  MOTHER'S  LOVE •       ,  175 

FROM  THE  GROVE 181 

HOW  GRANNAS-NILS  BECAME  SUCH  A  HERO     .  186 

AT  THE  MOLE'S  COURT 190 

THE  LITTLE  PLANT 198 

THE  FIRST  LARK      .        .         .         .         .         .  199 

RAGNHILD    AND    THE    GOBLIN    IN    FALSKOGS 

MOUNTAIN 203 

HOW  COUNT  BONDE  CAME  UP  IN  THE  WORLD  213 

THE  ASHBOY  217 


CONTENTS. 

HOW   TRAFVA    CHURCH   WAS    BUILT    .            .            .  228 

KKAKPELSA 231 

THE   WISE    DOG 235 

THE     PRINCE     WHO      FOUND     THE     MIRROR     OF 

YOUTH 240 

THE     PEASANT    WIFE     WHO     WAS     SO     DISCON- 
TENTED         249 

THE  TWELVE  ENCHANTED  PRINCESSES     .         .  251 

ABOUT  A  BOY  NAMED  SAPEN  ....  260 

THE  GILDED  NOSE  TIP 262 

THE  IMPRISONED  PRINCESS      ....  266 

THE  WATER-GOD  BY  THE  MILL        .         .         .  271 

THE  BEAUTIFUL  VILLAGE  MAID       .         .         .  273 

THE  SILVER  BOWL 277 

THE    GOAT    THAT    WOULDN'T    GO    HOME    AT 

TWILIGHT .  279 

THE  PRINCESS'S  CASKET 283 

THE  BOY  WHO  CHEATED  THE  EVIL  ONE  .        .  286 

THE  ASHBOY  WHO  WON  THE  PRINCESS   .        .  289 

THE  FAITHFUL  SISTER  293 


PREFACE. 


THE  LITTLE   ONES   OX   A  JOURNEY. 

(  Written  expressly  for  Mrs.  von  Rydingsvard,  by  the 
author,  Albrekt  Segerstedt,  as  a  Preface  to  her 
translation  of  his  Sagor.) 

OXE  evening  not  long  ago,  there  came  a  letter,  a 
friendly  letter,  to  all  the  little  ones,  inviting  them  far, 
far  away. 

There  was  great  rejoicing  among  them,  you  may  be 
sure.  Perhaps  you  have  taken  a  journey  sometime 
yourself,  and  know  how  pleasant  it  is  to  come  out  into 
the  world. 

"  Where  are  we  going  ?  "  "  Where  shall  we  go  ?  " 
they  cried,  with  gladness  and  expectancy  shining  in 
their  eyes. 

"  Far,  far  away  over  the  sea ;  over  there  where  the 
sun  goes  down;  to  the  distant  Western  land,  to 
America ! " 


PREFACE. 

"  Oh  !  over  there  !  over  there  !  To  the  land  of  high 
mountains,  wide  prairies,  .great  lakes  and  mighty 
rivers  ?  " 

"  To  the  land  of  wonders,  where  Franklin  learned 
how  to  tame  the  lightning,  where  Fulton  made  ships 
to  go  without  oars  or  sails,  where  Edison  showed  how 
the  thoughts  of  men  can  travel  over  land  and  sea  on 
fine  metal  threads  ?  " 

"  To  the  land  of  the  noble  Washington  and  Lincoln, 
the  friends  of  their  native  land  ?  to  the  land  that 
Cooper  tells  us  tales  about  and  of  which  Longfellow 
has  sung  ?  " 

"  Yes,  children  ;  just  there  shall  you  go." 

"  Oh !  how  delightful  that  will  be." 

There  was  such  a  rejoicing  among  the  little  ones ; 
but  one  of  them,  more  thoughtful  than  the  rest, 
asked  with  trembling  voice  : 

"  But  over  there  —  the  west  wind  has  whispered  to 
me  about  it  —  over  there  steam-engines  roar  so  loud, 
railroad  trains  rush  along  so  fast,  and  everything  is  so 
full  of  life,  so  grand,  that  the  people  will  not  hear 
us,  not  see  us !  Our  voices  are  so  weak ;  we  are  so 
small !  " 

What  could  I  answer  to  this  ?  Perhaps  the  thought- 
ful little  one  was  right.  But  I  would  not  destroy  the 
courage  of  my  little  ones,  not  deny  them  the  pleasure 
that  might  be  awaiting  them.  Because  I  hoped,  and 


PREFACE. 

I  believe,  that  even  over  there  in  the  wonderland, 
there  are  warm  hearts  beating  in  great  and  small, 
child-like  hearts,  which  will  open  and  give  the  travelers 
a  warm  home  to  dwell  in. 

And  so  they  are  coming  to  you  now,  with  greetings 
from  their  far  away  home  land  in  the  Xorth,  greetings 
to  all  those  who  love  the  bright  kingdom  of  Legend. 

And  if  you  will  receive  the  little  strangers  kindly, 
you  will  make  them  very  happy. 

They  expect  a  joyful  "Welcome  !"  and  now  you 
will  find  them  very  near  you  ;  only  turn  the  leaves  ! 


MY  LADY  LEGEND. 

"  HYU-TJ-TJ,  hy-u-y-y,"  sang  the  Wind,  and  chased 
the  Snowflakes  till  they  flew  down  terrified,  like  a 
flock  of  white  doves  when  the  hawk  pursues  them. 
But  outside  of  the  window,  right  by  the  corner, 
the  flakes  were  captured ;  they  could  not  fly  any 
further,  they  were  so  tired. 

"  Here  we  will  sink  down,"  said  they.  "  We, 
too,  we,  too,"  cried  they  who  came  after.  So  they 
rested  against  one  another,  row  after  row,  till  the 
snow-drift  grew  and  became  ever  higher  and 
higher. 

"  What  are  you  doing  here  ?  Up  with  you  !  " 
cried  the  Wind.  He  likes  a  commotion  and  will 
not  allow  anything  to  remain  still.  He  was  angry. 
If  he  but  caught  a  little  flake,  he  would  whirl 
about  with  her,  away  over  land  and  sea,  till  the 
poor  little  thing  became  so  dizzy  that  she  did  not 
know  where  she  was,  and  she  never  saw  father, 
mother  or  sisters  again. 


10  MY  LADY  LEGEND. 

This  is  why  the  flakes  in  the  drift  were  so  fright- 
ened that  they  huddled  close  up  to  one  another. 

"  Hold  me  in,  hold  me  in,"  cried  the  little  ones 
to  each  other,  and  turned  perfectly  white  with 
fear. 

Higher  and  higher  the  drift  grew,  because  the 
flakes  stood  by  each  other  faithfully ;  and  when 
this  is  so,  even  the  weak  grow  strong. 

Inside  in  the  warm  room  stood  the  children  and 
looked  out  through  the  window. 

"  Oh  !  see  how  high  the  drift  gets,"  said  they, 
and  pointed  at  it  with  their  fingers.  They  stood 
on  tiptoe  so  they  could  see  it  better,  for  they  did 
not  dare  to  go  out  and  look  at  it.  If  they  should 
do  that,  the  north  wind  would  come  instantly  and 
pinch  their  little  cheeks  with  his  cold,  sharp 
fingers.  He  was  angry  with  order,  old  North 
Wind,  and  lashed  without  exception,  all  whom  he 
came  across,  and  the  darker  it  grew  at  night,  the 
angrier  he  grew  also. 

"  Piff-pafI,  piff-paff  !  "  sounded  from  the  chim- 
ney place ;  it  was  the  fire  that  snapped  and  crackled, 
and  immediately  the  little  ones  who  stood  at  the 
window,  gathered  around  this  cheerful  companion. 
The  small  flames  leaped  from  twig  to  twig  and 
got  both  red  and  warm.  Then  there  was  a  knock 
at  the  door. 

"  Come  in,  come  in,"  shouted  the  rosy  lips. 

"  Thank  you,  most  kindly.     Whew  !  it  is  dread- 


MY  LADY   LEGEND.  11 

fully  cold  out,"  said  she  who  came  in  through  the 
door. 

The  stranger  was  a  girl  with  gleaming  eyes  that 
sparkled  in  a  wonderful  manner.  When  she  took 
off  her  hood,  rich,  waving  curls  fell  about  her 
forehead  and  cheeks,  and  reached  far  down  on  the 
full  garments  she  wore. 

"  Oh !  what  a  wonderful  dress  you  have  on," 
said  little  Elin  ;*  "  it  is  not  a  hit  like  ours  ;  it  has 
neither  waist  nor  sleeves,  but  it  fits  so  nicely  ! " 

"  Do  you  think  so  ?  "  replied  the  stranger,  and 
smilingly  shook  her  head.  She  took  each  one  of 
the  little  ones  by  the  hand,  and  smiled  so  tenderly 
that  she  immediately  won  their  hearts,  and  little 
Miaf  laid  her  head  upon  the  stranger's  knee,  and 
gazed  into  the  sparkling  eyes, 

"Oh,  listen  to  Boreas  !  **  said  one,  "now  he  is 
tearing  his  beard  !  Think  how  good  it  was  that 
you  found  our  house,  else  perhaps  you  might 
have  frozen.  But  your  hands  are  not  cold  one 
bit,"  went  on  the  child  who  was  talking,  taking 
the  stranger  girl's  soft  hands.  "  Why,  you  are 
real  warm,  and  you  have  been  out  in  such 
weather." 

"  I  get  warm  at  once  when  I  am  received  as  I 
was  here,"  said  the  stranger,  and  smiled.  "  And 
if  I  find  it  cold  in  one  place,  I  go  immediately  to 
another." 

*  Pronounced  Ai-leen.  f  Pronounced  Me-a. 


12  MY  LADY  LEGEND. 

"  Oh  !  do  you  do  that  ?  "  cried  the  children. 
"  But  is  your  horse  never  tired  ?  "  added  they. 

"  Oh,  no,  oh,  no  !  he  never  gets  tired  ;  he  can 
travel  from  heaven  to  earth,  and  from  the  earth  to 
the  stars,  and  from  the  cold  North  Pole  to  the 
palm  groves  of  the  south  in  an  instant." 

"  What  a  lot  of  lovely  things  you  must  see !  " 

She  nodded,  and  then  told  them  about  many  things 
she  had  seen  and  heard.  She  told  about  the  won- 
ders away  in  southern  lands,  where  the  air  is  laden 
with  the  perfume  of  a  thousand  flowers ;  she  told 
about  the  icebergs  at  the  Poles,  about  the  Northern 
Lights,  about  winds  and  snowflakes.  She  knew 
what  the  waves  say,  what  the  trees  whisper  and 
the  birds  sing;  yes,  she  could  even  understand 
what  the  straws,  the  matches  and  the  tattered 
shoes  on  the  brush  heap  think.  About  great  and 
small,  about  what  is  on  the  earth  and  under  the 
earth  —  yes,  about  everything  she  had  something 
to  tell. 

And  so  the  time  flew  fast,  the  tire  went  out,  and 
the  glowing  coals  began  to  fall  apart,  but  none  of 
the  children  had  noticed  it. 

"  Oh,  stay,  stay ! "  cried  they,  when  she  rose  at 
last  to  go. 

"  Not  longer  now ;  not  longer  this  time,"  she  re- 
plied, and  kissed  them  all. 

"But  you  will  surely  come  again,  sweet  one, 
come  again  !  "  said  one  of  the  children. 


MY   LADY   LEGEND.  13 

"  You  will  be  sure  to  come  again,  you  look  so 
kind,"  said  another. 

Then  the  stranger  standing  in  the  doorway 
nodded  a  farewell  to  them. 

"But  what  is  your  name?"  cried  the  children, 
for  they  had  forgotten  to  ask  it  before. 

"  My  name  is  Legend,"  answered  the  stranger, 
and  was  gone. 

But  when  the  world  grows  dark  without,  when 
old  Jack  Frost  knocks  at  the  window,  and  the 
cheerful  fire  crackles  on  the  hearth,  then  Legend 
comes  to  tarry  with  those  who  receive  her  in  a 
friendly  spirit. 


LASSE'S   FUR  OVERCOAT. 

LASSE  *  was  a  good  boy,  no  one  could  deny  that, 
but  he  sometimes  behaved  in  rather  a  stupid  man- 
ner. Still  one  could  forgive  him  for  that,  so 
much  the  more,  as  other  people  sometimes  do  the 
same. 

Just  listen :  It  once  happened  that  Lasse  was 
to  have  a  fur  overcoat  —  for  that  is  a  neces- 
sary thing  when  it  is  very  cold  —  and  every  man 
who  could  afford  it  had  such  an  article  of  dress. 
So  Lasse  went  to  the  city  to  buy  fur,  because  there 
was  none  to  be  found  in  the  village  where  he  lived. 
He  went  to  a  dealer  in  furs. 

"  Good-day,  Mr.  Furdealer ;  I  want  to  buy  some 
pelts,"  said  Lasse,  and  the  man  showed  him  some 
very  fine  skins.  They  were  all  white  but  one, 
which  was  black;  but  that  made  no  difference, 
because  the  fur  was  to  be  turned  inside.  Yes,  the 
black  one  ought  to  make  a  very  fine  coat,  they  both 
thought,  so  Lasse  went  home  delighted  with  his 
purchase. 

But  Lasse  intended  to  make  the  coat  himself, 

*  Pronounced  Lar-sie. 

14 


LASSE1  s  FUR  OVERCOAT.  15 

because  he  was  not  unhandy  with  his  needle  ;  the 
worst  part  was  the  cutting  out,  for  he  did  not  know 
how  to  do  that. 

"  But  I  will  go  to  the  other  village  folks  and 
borrow  patterns,  then  it  will  go  all  right,"  thought 
Lasse,  and  he  started  out.  He  went  into  the  near- 
est neighbor's  first. 

"  I  am  going  to  make  a  fur  coat,"  said  Lasse, 
"  and  I  would  be  much  obliged  if  I  could  borrow  a 
pattern  to  cut  it  out  by." 

"  That  is  a  good  thing  to  do,"  said  the  peasant, 
"  but  see  here,  do  not  make  it  too  long,  for  that 
would  be  the  worst  thing  that  could  happen." 

The  peasant  was  a  short  man,  so  short  coats 
fitted  him  ;  Lasse,  on  the  contrary,  was  tall,  but  the 
peasant  never  thought  of  that. 

"  Thank  you  for  your  advice,"  said  Lasse,  "  I 
shall  not  forget  it."  And  he  went  out. 

After  he  was  outside  he  thought  like  this : 

"  It  would  be  a  good  thing  to  get  several  patterns 
and  have  more  to  go  by  ;  the  coat  would  be  so  much 
the  better."  So  he  went  into  the  sheriff's  and  made 
known  his  errand. 

"  By  all  means  make  the  coat  roomy  and  wide, 
or  it  will  be  good  for  nothing,"  said  he,  because  he 
was  thick  about  the  waist.  He  did  not  remember 
that  Lasse  was  thin,  as  young  striplings  usually  are. 

And  Lasse  thanked  him  for  his  advice,  and 
promised  to  follow  it,  of  course. 


16  LASSE'S  FUR  OVERCOAT. 

Then  Lasse  went  from  one  to  another  through 
the  whole  village  ;  one  advised  him  to  make  long 
sleeves,  another  to  put  the  fur  on  the  outside,  still 
another  to  turn  it  inside.  An  old  soldier  who  was 
active  and  warm-blooded,  as  old  warriors  some- 
times are,  advised  Lasse  to  leave  holes  for  ventila- 
tion on  the  back,  "  else  you  will  melt  with  the 
heat,"  said  he. 

After  Lasse  had  been  to  every  house,  he  went 
home  and  began  to  cut  out  the  coat,  and  it  was  a 
queer  one,  for  he  followed  the  advice  of  each  per- 
son. One  sleeve  was  so  short  that  it  only  reached 
to  the  elbow,  while  the  other  was  so  long  that  only 
the  tips  of  his  fingers  could  be  seen.  The  lower 
part  of  the  coat  was  so  full  that  it  would  have 
reached  around  the  sheriff's  thick  body,  while  the 
upper  part  was  so  narrow  that  Lasse  could  scarcely 
breathe.  He  turned  the  fur  outside  on  the  back, 
and  as  it  was  black  and  the  skin  light,  it  looked 
ridiculous.  And  on  this  piece  he  had  cut  a  big 
hole,  so  he  should  not  melt  with  the  heat. 

Well,  he  looked  queer  when  he  got  the  coat  on. 
But  he  thought  it  was  very  fine,  because  he  had 
followed  the  advice  of  so  many  wise  folks.  Then 
he  went  out  to  show  himself  to  the  village. 

The  big  pigs  in  the  garden  were  the  first  to 
see  him,  and  they  rushed  up  and  down  hill  and 
tore  up  the  ground.  The  animals  had  never 
seen  anything  so  remarkable  before  as  Lasse's  fur 


LASSE'S  FUR  OVERCOAT.  17 

coat,  so  they  sprang  out  through  the  gate  in  terror, 
and  squealed  so  loud  that  all  the  people  who  sat  in 
the  little  cottages  looked  out  of  the  windows. 

"  Oh,  goodness  gracious  !  "  they  cried  when  they 
saw  Lasse,  and  old  women,  children  and  youths 
rushed  out  on  the  village  street  to  examine  the 
funny  coat. 

"Where  are  you  going?"  "What  have  you 
dressed  yourself  up  so  fine  for  ?  "  they  called  after 
him,  screaming  and  laughing. 

"  Oh,  look  !  he  has  a  chiraney  on  his  back,  and 
it  is  black  with  soot ;  hurrah  !  hurrah  !  "  yelled  a 
whole  crowd  of  boys  who  ran  after  Lasse.  And 
the  dogs,  children  and  pigs  followed,  till  Lasse  grew 
so  ashamed  of  his  coat  that  he  ran  home  as  fast 
as  he  could,  the  crowd  at  his  heels. 

A  bull  that  was  grazing  on  a  hill,  became 
angry  at  the  noise,  and  when  he  caught  sight  of 
the  great  black  patch  of  fur  on  Lasse's  back,  he 
started  after  him,  roaring  "  Buuh  !  "  caught  him  on 
his  horns  and  tossed  him  right  up  in  the  air. 
Luckily  for  Lasse,  he  fell  on  the  other  side  of  the 
fence,  or  he  might  have  been  gored  to  death  ;  but 
at  last  lie  reached  his  father's  cot. 

When  he  went  in  his  mother  was  just  going  to 
settle  the  coffee,  and  in  fright  let  the  pot  drop  on 
the  floor,  so  the  hot  coffee  came  on  the  cat's  paws ; 
she  cried,  "  Yam,  yam ! "  sprang  upon  the  table  and 
spit  at  Lasse,  who  stood  shamefacedly  in  the  door. 


18  LASSE'S  FUR  OVERCOAT. 

"  What  in  the  wide  world  has  happened  to 
you?"  shrieked  his  father ;  "you  have  completely 
ruined  the  fur  and  made  yourself  the  laughing 
stock  of  the  whole  village  beside." 

"  Yes,  and  then  you  frightened  me  so  as  to  make 
me  spoil  the  coffee  and  scald  the  cat's  paws,"  said 
his  mother;  but  Lasse  only  cried. 

"  I  have  taken  the  advice  of  everybody  in  the 
whole  town,"  said  Lasse,  "  and  still  it  is  not 
right !  " 

"  Have  you  been  to  the  tailor  with  it  ?  "  asked 
his  father. 

"  No,"  said  Lasse,  "  I  never  thought  of  that." 

"  Remember,  that  when  a  man  wants  to  make  a 
fur  coat,  he  needs  to  ask  the  tailor,  if  he  does  not 
understand  how  to  do  it  himself,  but  he  should  not 
ask  anybody  and  everybody,  because  if  he  does,  he 
is  sure  to  make  a  fool  of  himself  as  you  have  done 
now." 

So  Lasse  went  to  the  tailor,  but  he  has  not  been 
able  to  afford  a  new  coat  yet,  because  he  was  with- 
out one  when  I  saw  him  yesterday,  for  the  one  he 
made  was  just  good  for  nothing. 


THE  FLOWER  BULB. 

WHEN  the  mild  spring  sun  began  to  shine,  a 
flower  bulb  lay  in  a  window  enjoying  the  warm 
rays  and  exulting  in  the  clear  light.  But  the  gar- 
dener came  in  and  carried  away  the  bulb,  in  order 
to  plant  it  in  the  ground. 

The  little  grave  in  the  garden  soil  looked  dark 
and  terrible,  and  the  bulb  felt  grieved  and  trembled 
when  it  sank  therein,  because  it  is  so  hard  for  a 
plant  to  part  with  the  clear,  beautiful  sunlight. 

But  scarcely  was  the  earth  packed  around  it  be- 
fore it  felt  itself  thrilling  with  a  hitherto  unsus- 
pected life.  The  green  leaves,  the  wonderful 
flowers  that  formerly  slumbered  unconscious  within 
the  colorless  shell,  sprang  forth,  and  soon  the  bulb 
changed  to  a  beautiful,  fragrant  Easter  lily. 

"  How  foolish  was  my  sorrow  over  the  dark 
grave  !  "  thought  the  lovely  flower  ;  "  my  true  life 
could  not  begin  until  I  had  been  hid  in  its  bosom.'* 


19 


THE    THREE   WISHES. 

THERE  were  once  three  men  who  were  out  trav- 
eling, and  as  their  paths  lay  in  the  same  direction, 
they  thought  they  could  just  as  well  keep  each 
other  company,  for  that  would  be  more  agreeable 
than  traveling  alone. 

Not  one  of  them  was  contented,  and  they  soon 
agreed  that  it  was  a  wretched  world,  or  at  least  a 
miserable  country  in  which  they  lived.  Each  one 
thought  that  he  deserved  a  better  lot,  and  this 
feeling  bound  them  together. 

I  must  now  tell  what  they  were  also,  for  one 
ought  to  know.  The  first  one  was  a  merchant 
with  cloth  to  sell,  which  he  carried  in  a  bundle  on 
his  back.  He  always  sold  so  cheap  that  he  lost  on 
every  yard  ;  still  he  had  wandered  around  several 
years,  and  it  was  very  good  of  him  to  do  so  when 
the  reward  was  so  scanty. 

The  second  was  a  cabinet  maker  and  a  master 
workman  too.  No  one  within  seven  kingdoms 
could  make  such  fine  furniture  as  he  could,  because 
he  said  so  himself,  and  more  than  that  I  do  not 
know  of  him,  which  is  to  be  regretted. 

20 


THE  THREE   WISHES.  21 

The  third  was  a  woodchopper.  That  is  very  hard 
work,  especially  if  one  does  not  wish  to  get  a 
crooked  back,  and  this  woodchopper  did  not  wish 
to.  Therefore  he  had  laid  aside  his  axe,  and 
thought  to  rise  in  the  world ;  but  that  is  not  so 
easy  when  one  gives  up  working. 

After  they  had  gone  a  little  distance,  they  be- 
came tired  and  sat  down  to  rest  by  the  roadside. 
While  they  were  sitting  there,  an  old  woman  came 
out  of  the  forest;  but  I  must  tell  you  it  was  no 
ordinary  old  woman.  She  seated  herself  on  the 
grass  opposite  the  men,  and  they  all  fell  to  talking. 
Each  man  considered  his  work  the  very  hardest  in 
the  world,  as  every  one  could  see. 

"  Still  it  is  best  as  it  is,"  said  the  woman,  "  be- 
cause if  people  should  always  get  their  wishes,  it 
would  be  bad  for  them ;  trust  me  for  that !  " 

"  Well,  you  may  say  that,"  said  the  merchant, 
"  you  who  have  never  seen  more  of  the  world  than 
this  little  district ;  if  I  could  have  my  way  awhile, 
life  would  not  be  so  dull." 

"  How  would  you  have  it,  then  ? "  said  the 
woman. 

"  Well,"  said  the  merchant,  "  I  should  only  wish 
that  all  I  drew  upon  might  grow  long  ;  that  is  cer- 
tainly not  an  immoderate  wish,  but  if  I  could  have 
it  granted  I  should  be  contented." 

"  Oh  !  there  is  no  art  in  making  cloth  stretch 
out !  "  said  the  woodchopper.  "  I  should  be  satis- 


22  THE   THREE   WISHES. 

fied  with  a  trifling  thing.  If  everything  I  struck 
should  immediately  fall  asunder,  I  should  be  con- 
tent. Then  a  man  could  chop  many  arms  full  of 
wood  in  a  day  and  still  have  time  to  eat  his 
dinner." 

"  Now  you  two  have  told  how  you  would  like  to 
have  it,"  said  the  cabinet-maker,  "  I  can  just  as 
well  tell  my  simple  wish ;  nothing  great  after 
yours.  I  should  wish  that  all  I  put  together 
would  be  firm  as  rock,  then  one  could  find  a  sale 
for  his  work  and  all  go  finely." 

"  Those  were  simple  wishes  enough,  old  dame," 
said  the  woodchopper,  slapping  her  on  the  shoulder, 
and  then  passed  round  the  snuff. 

"  Ah,  but  I  believe  you  would  regret  it  if  they 
should  be  fulfilled,"  said  the  woman,  and  took  up 
her  basket  to  go. 

"  No,  indeed,"  said  all  in  one  breath. 

"If  you  think  so,  then  you  shall  get  your 
wishes,"  said  the  woman.  "All  that  you  draw 
upon  shall  grow  long !  All  that  you  strike  upon 
shall  fall  in  pieces  I  All  that  you  put  together 
shall  be  firm  as  rock !  "  While  she  was  saying 
this,  she  pointed  with  her  cane  to  each  one  of  the 
three  men  and  then  vanished. 

•'  That  was  a  very  queer  soul,"  said  the  first ; 
"  did  you  see  where  she  went?" 

No,  no  one  had  seen  that. 

"  Just  think  if  it  should  be  as  she  foretold  !  "  said 


THE   THREE   WISHES.  23 

the  woodchopper,  and  struck  his  hands  against  a 
piece  of  timber,  when  lo !  the  heavy  log  immedi- 
ately fell  in  two  pieces.  All  were  so  surprised 
that  they  sprang  up,  and  the  woodchopper  tried 
again  in  another  part  of  the  log,  and  crack !  went 
that  in  two  also. 

Then  the  cabinet-maker  put  together  two  pieces 
of  wood,  and  look  !  they  clung  together  like  rock. 
The  merchant  took  a  piece  of  cloth  out  of  his 
bundle  and  pulled  it  and  it  became  as  long  as  he 
wished. 

All  three  hurrahed  and  swung  their  caps.  Now 
life  would  be  gay  —  that  was  certain  —  and  they 
went  on. 

A  little  while  after  the  merchant  took  out  his 
handkerchief  to  blow  his  nose,  but  as  he  did  so,  lie 
happened  to  pull  his  nose  a  little,  which  was  a  bad 
thing,  because  it  began  to  grow  so  long,  oh!  so 
long ;  certainly  a  half  a  foot  longer  than  it  was  be- 
fore, and  that  is  much  upon  a  nose.  When  the 
lumberman  got  a  sight  of  it,  he  thought  it  looked 
so  comical  that  he  began  to  laugh  loudly  and  slap 
his  hands  upon  his  knees,  when  his  legs  immedi- 
ately broke  in  two. 

The  cabinet-maker  was  so  surprised  over  the 
whole  thing  that  he  cried,  "  Oh  !  oh  ! "  and  clapped 
his  hands ;  and  they  would  not  come  apart,  but 
stuck  together  firm  as  rock. 

They  made  a  fine  picture  out  there,  you  may  be- 


24  THE  THREE  WISHES. 

lieve.  The  merchant  stopped  and  tried  to  push 
in  his  long  nose,  but  he  did  not  succeed;  the  wood- 
chopper  wished  to  get  up,  but  that  was  not  to  be 
done  ;  the  cabinet-maker  ran  and  tore  at  his  hands 
to  get  them  apart,  but  that  was  plainly  impossible. 

"  Oh,  how  stupid  we  were  !  "  cried  the  whole 
company  in  one  voice,  and  stupid  enough  they  had 
been. 

"  If  I  were  only  as  I  was  before  !  "  said  the  cabi- 
net-maker, "  then  I  should,  indeed,  work ;  I  had 
really  nothing  to  complain  of." 

The  others  thought  the  same,  and  it  was  high 
time  for  them  to  get  sensible. 

But  I  do  not  know  how  it  went  with  them  after- 
wards ;  perhaps  they  are  to  be  found  on  the  same 
spot  to-day. 


THE   CHRISTMAS   SPRUCE-TREE. 

AMONG  the  high  and  stately  trees  in  the  forest, 
there  grew  a  spruce-tree  that  was  no  taller  than  a 
man,  and  when  a  spruce-tree  is  no  taller  than  that, 
it  looks  very  small  indeed. 

But  the  other  trees  round  about  were  so  large 
and  spread  their  branches  out  so  far  on  all  sides 
that  the  little  spruce  could  not  have  grown  taller 
even  if  she  had  chosen. 

Although  she  was  little,  she  both  heard  and  saw 
and  listened  gladly  to  the  conversation  of  the  other 
trees,  which  was  very  learned  and  also  depressing 
for  the  little  bush,  which  could  never  become 
great. 

"  I  am  the  glory  of  the  forest,"  said  the  haughty 
oak  ;  "  look  at  my  mighty  trunk  and  my  powerful 
branches,  how  they  reach  up  towards  heaven ! 
The  little  worms  bite  off  my  buds  and  think  thereby 
to  hinder  my  growth,  but  what  impression  can  the 
insects  make  on  my  strength  and  hardiness !  I 
will  upward,  and  upward  I  go,  because  it  is  my 
destiny  to  do  so.  I  furnish  planks  for  men,  from 
which  they  build  their  ships,  and  then  I  defy  the 

25 


26  THE   CHRISTMAS   SPRUCE-TREE. 

storms  on  the  ocean  as  I  did  the  thunder  in  the 
forest  before." 

"  And  I  follow  you  on  the  foaming  waves,"  said 
the  tall,  graceful  pine,  and  waved  her  proud  crown. 
"  When  the  ships  fly  over  the  billows,  I  uphold  the 
flapping  sails ;  without  masts  the  fleets  would  be 
helplessly  lost  among  the  foaming  breakers.  Yes, 
my  calling  is  a  high  one,"  she  ended. 

"And  we  warm  the  dwellings  of  mankind  when 
Winter  comes  hither  from  his  summer  palace  at 
the  North  Pole,"  said  the  white-stemmed  birch, 
and  smilingly  shook  her  fine,  delicate  branches ; 
"•  and  in  summer  men  throw  themselves  gladly  at 
my  feet  and  enjoy  the  shade  and  fragrance  which 
my  luxurious  branches  spread  around  them." 

"  I  flatter  myself  that  I  perform  the  same  service 
to  man  that  you  do,"  said  a  tall  fir-tree,  and  grace- 
fully drooped  her  lovely  branches  towards  the 
ground  on  which  she  had  cast  down  many  smooth, 
shining  cones,  which  looked  so  beautiful  on  the 
new-fallen,  white  snow  carpet,  which  Winter  had 
spread  there. 

And  so  the  wind  sighed  through  the  forest, 
which  nodded  to  him,  for  he  was  a  friend  of  their 
childhood,  and  gladly  seen  by  the  trees,  although  he 
sometimes  caught  them  so  quickly  in  his  arms  that 
he  threw  them  down. 

"  That  boy,  that  boy !  "  said  those  that  would 
remain  standing,  "  he  is  always  so  wild ;  but  one 


THE  CHRISTMAS   SPRUCE-TREE.  27 

can  afford  to  excuse  him  on  account  of  his  youth," 
and  so  they  continued  to  nod  to  him. 

But  the  little  spruce  had  heard  how  the  other 
trees  talked  about  their  high  destination,  and  so 
she  thought :  "  What  destination  have  I,  then  ?  " 
But  however  much  she  thought  about  the  thing, 
she  never  arrived  at  a  clear  understanding  of  it, 
and  so  she  decided  to  ask  the  great  trees  about  it. 

So  she  questioned  the  oak,  the  pine  and  the  fir, 
but  they  all  bore  their  heads  so  high  that  they  did 
not  hear  what  the  little  one  said.  Only  the  birch 
took  up  her  question. 

"  You  have  no  vocation,"  said  the  birch,  "  be- 
cause you  can  never  grow  large  enough ;  you  can 
only  be  a  Christmas-tree,"  added  she. 

"  And  what  is  a  Christmas-tree  ?  "  continued  the 
little  bush. 

"  That  I  cannot  exactly  say,"  replied  the  birch, 
"  but  sometimes  when  the  days  are  the  shortest, 
people  come  out  here  into  the  forest  and  when  they 
see  a  spruce  that  is  not  of  any  use,  they  say,  '  That 
will  do  for  a  Christmas  spruce.'  Then  they  chop 
down  the  bush  and  carry  it  away  from  the  forest. 
What  they  afterwards  do  with  it,  I  cannot  tell ; 
very  likely  throw  it  away,  because  it  could  not  be 
used  for  anything."  And  the  little  spruce  bush 
asked  the  hares  that  hopped  past,  and  the  owls 
that  sat  in  the  pines,  and  the  squirrels  that  came  to 
carry  away  the  fir  cones,  but  no  one  could  say 


28  THE  CHRISTMAS   SPRUCE-TREE. 

more  than  the  birch  ;  no  one  knew  what  vocation 
a  Christmas  spruce-tree  had. 

Then  the  little  spruce  bush  wept  because  it  had 
no  calling,  and  could  not  be  of  any  use  in  the 
world.  And  the  tears  hardened  into  clear,  trans- 
lucent drops,  but  we  call  them  gum. 

Then  there  came  a  boy  into  the  forest  with  an 
axe  in  his  hands,  and  when  he  saw  the  spruce-tree, 
he  said : 

"  Perhaps  that  will  do  for  a  Christmas-tree." 
He  chopped  it  down,  laid  it  on  a  sled  and  dragged 

it  home. 

The   boy,  however,   put   a  wooden   foot  under 

the  spruce-tree  arid  sold  it  and  it  was  taken  into  a 
large  handsome  room  and  dressed  up  with  fine 
paper  and  small  colored  candles ;  candies  and 
packages  were  tied  on  the  branches,  so  the 
little  tree  became  perfectly  confused  with  the 
many  new  things  she  saw. 

But  along  towards  evening  the  spruce  was  put 
into  a  large  room,  all  by  itself.  Here  everything 
was  silent  and  still,  and  the  little  tree,  who  stood 
there  in  the  darkness,  began  again  to  think  gloomy 
thoughts. 

But  presently  the  door  opened,  and  a  lady  came 
in  and  lighted  the  candles.  How  light  and  glow- 
ing it  was  within  then !  The  little  tree  had  never 
been  able  to  think  of  anything  so  beautiful.  From 
an  adjoining  room  came  the  sound  of  clear,  child- 


THE  CHRISTMAS   SPKUCE-TREE.  29 

ish  voices,  singing   a   beautiful   Christmas   song. 
They  sang : 

"  Upon  this  day  is  born  a  child, 
So  was  God's  plan  and  pleasure : 

Its  mother  was  a  Virgin  mild ;  — 
Christ,  Son  of  God,  our  Treasure." 

So  ran  the  Christmas  psalm,  and  the  little  spruce- 
tree  stood  spell-bound  and  listened.  But  the  doors 
flew  open,  and  a  crowd  of  merry  children  rushed 
in. 

"  Oh  !  how  pretty,  how  fine  !  "  cried  the  troop 
of  young  creatures,  and  danced  in  a  ring  around 
the  tree,  while  the  father  played  on  a  violin  and 
the  tiniest  child  sat  nodding  and  cooing  in  its 
mother's  arms. 

"  Ah !  now  I  know  what  I  was  made  for," 
thought  the  little  tree.  "  I  was  intended  to  give 
joy  to  the  little  ones,  because  I  myself  am  so  small 
and  humble." 


THE   OLD   FOOT-STOOLS. 

OUT  in  the  country  a  few  miles  from  the  city, 
lay  a  fine,  large  estate  surrounded  by  rows  of  trees 
a  hundred  years  old,  and  a  park  as  large  as  a  small 
forest. 

The  dwelling  house  itself  was  like  a  castle,  and 
everything  in  it  was  after  the  same  style.  Those 
who  have  possession  of  such  places  do  not  let 
them  go  easily  out  of  their  hands,  but  the  man  who 
owned  this  fine  home  was  compelled  to  sell  it  and 
all  that  he  had,  for  he  had  lost  his  money. 

All  the  things  were  to  be  taken  away  and  people 
went  in  and  out  to  look  at  them. 

"  What  extravagance  !  "  some  said,  and  extrava- 
gance it  certainly  was,  because  everything  was  so 
rare  and  costly. 

"  When  one  lives  so  high  as  this,  it  will  always 
end  like  this,  and  it  is  right  so,"  said  another,  and 
he  knew  what  he  was  speaking  about,  because  he 
had  been  such  a  good  friend  to  the  formerly  rich 
man,  and  had  passed  so  many  pleasant  hours  in  his 
house. 

But  the  beautiful  things  that  must  be  sold  at 

30 


THE  OLD  FOOT-STOOLS.  31 

auction  had  also  their  speculations  as  to  who  should 
buy  them. 

"The  rich  earl  will  purchase  me,"  said  the 
gilded  chandelier,  and  shone  as  brightly  as  she 
could,  in  order  to  eclipse  the  tea  service  which  stood 
beneath. 

"  And  the  general  with  the  many  stars  across 
his  breast  will  certainly  buy  me,"  said  a  sofa, 
much  puffed  up. 

And  so  each  piece  guessed  in  what  way  it 
would  be  called  in ;  but  it  seldom  came  out  as  they 
reckoned. 

Out  in  the  anteroom  stood  a  pair  of  foot-stools. 
They  had  never  been  out  in  the  great  world,  but 
had  sat  nearly  all  their  life,  hidden  in  the  garret. 
The  reason  of  it  was,  that  they  had  been  ruined  in 
being  brought  home  from  the  cabinet-maker's  ;  the 
covering  had  got  spotted  and  spoiled,  so  they  had 
been  lodged  in  a  corner  of  the  garret. 

Only  once  had  they  been  present  on  a  great  occa- 
sion, and  that  was  not  at  all  great  either,  but  the 
stools,  who  always  before  and  since,  were  dwellers 
in  the  garret,  thought  it  was  something  remarkable. 
They  had  not  seen  an}rthing  of  the  festivities, 
however,  because  the  instant  they  were  brought 
forward  they  were  covered  with  something  white. 
Then  they  had  heard  some  one  speaking  solemnly  ; 
afterward  they  heard  a  voice  say  "  Yes,"  loud  and 
clear,  and  then  another  voice  that  said  the  same 


32  THE   OLD   FOOT-STOOLS. 

word,  only  so  softly  and  bashfully  it  could  hardly 
be  heard. 

After  that  there  was  the  tramping  of  many  feet, 
the  clinking  of  glasses,  then  tramping  again,  then 
all  became  silent. 

It  was  a  wedding  that  had  been  celebrated,  but 
the  foot-stools  did  not  realize  that. 

One  of  the  maids  in  the  house  had  married  a 
young  workman  on  the  estate,  and  her  mistress 
had  allowed  the  two  stools  to  be  used  for  them 
to  kneel  upon;  and  forty  years  had  flown  since 
then. 

The  old  stools  stood  there  now  and  wondered  if 
any  one  would  buy  them.  They  made  bold  to  ask 
a  fine  mirror  about  it. 

"  Do  you  know  any  of  the  distinguished  people 
here  in  the  place  ?  "  inquired  the  mirror  haughtily. 

"  No,"  replied  the  stools  very  bashfully. 

"  Ah,  indeed !  but  now  I  look  at  you,  I  see  at 
once  that  you  could  not  have  the  acquaintance  of 
such  people.  Oh!  you  are  sure  to  end  in  the 
woodhouse,  for  no  one  wants  to  buy  rubbish. 
Furthermore,  we  have  no  acquaintance  with  each 
other,  and  I  beg  to  be  spared  any  further  questions." 
And  the  mirror  came  near  cracking  with  vexation 
at  the  stools'  presumption. 

The  poor  stools  trembled  through  their  whole 
bodies,  and,  had  they  been  able,  they  would  cer- 
tainly have  wept,  because  no  furniture,  however 


THE  OLD  FOOT-STOOLS.  33 

old  it  may  be,  likes  to  be  thrown  out  on  the  brush 
heap  to  be  burned  up. 

Then  the  auction  began.  "  First,  second,  third 
time  !  "  sounded  through  the  room.  One  after 
another  the  things  were  sold,  but  not  as  the  furni- 
ture had  reckoned  on,  because  each  one  took 
whatever  he  thought  would  fit  his  rooms  at  home 
best. 

Way  out  by  the  door  stood  a  couple  —  a  man  and 
a  woman.  They  were  both  aged,  for  many  winters 
had  passed  over  their  heads,  leaving  them  as  white 
as  snow. 

They  looked  very  good-and  venerable,  these  two ; 
the  old  woman  held  the  man's  hand  and  he  clasped 
his  warmly  about  hers.  Forty  years  they  had 
journeyed  together,  sharing  both  good  and  ill  days  ; 
they  had  been  faithful  to  each  other,  for  they  loved 
each  other  as  warmly  as  on  their  wedding  day, 
when  the  minister  stood  inside  the  room  there  and 
pronounced  the  blessing  over  them.  Yes,  just 
where  the  auction  was  going  on  they  had  been 
united. 

"  Father  dear,  do  not  let  them  be  taken  away," 
said  the  aged  woman,  and  pressed  her  husband's 
hand. 

u  Becalm,  dear  mother,"  answered  he,  and  looked 
at  her  tenderly. 

What  did  the  aged  couple  think  of  buying  ? 

"  Here  are  a  pair  of  old  stools  !     They  are  ragged 


34  THE  OLD  FOOT-STOOLS. 

enough,  though  !  "  cried  the  auctioneer.  And  as 
such  people  are  apt  to  do,  he  said  some  funny 
things  about  the  stools,  so  that  the  people  who 
stood  around  him  laughed. 

But  the  stools  did  not  laugh,  because  it  hurts 
one's  feelings  to  be  scorned  for  infirmity. 

The  aged  man  and  woman  did  not  laugh,  either, 
for  they  thought  it  was  a  pity  to  ridicule  the  poor 
old  furniture. 

"  Fifty  ore  —  who  will  give  fifty  ore  ?  "  cried 
the  auctioneer. 

Then  a  voice  which  trembled  a  little  spoke  up 
and  said : 

"  Two  riksdaler" 

The  old  man  could  have  had  them  easily  enough 
for  fifty  ore,  but  he  would  not  bid  so  little  for  these 
particular  stools,  and  the  old  woman  gave  him  a 
grateful  look,  because  he  had  thrown  away  one 
and  fifty. 

No  one  bid  more  ;  the  auctioneer  brought  his 
hammer  down  and  the  stools  went  to  the  aged 
couple.  The  man  took  them,  one  under  each  arm, 
as  carefully  as  if  they  had  been  children. 

"  Why  are  you  so  anxious  to  have  the  old 
stools  ?  "  asked  a  lady  of  the  two. 

"•  Well,  gracious  lady,  you  see  we  were  married 
on  them,"  replied  the  woman,  "  and  my  husband 
has  always  been  so  kind  and  good  to  me,  that  I 
longed  to  have  them." 


THE  OLD   FOOTSTOOLS.  35 

And  so  the  two  foot-stools  came  to  belong  to  the 
aged  pair,  and  received  the  place  of  honor  before 
the  window,  and  not  every  one  was  allowed  to  sit 
on  them. 

When  the  old  folks'  granddaughter  was  married 
they  were  again  brought  forward,  and  covered  with 
white,  and  they  are  to  go  to  the  young  pair  when 
the  aged  ones  have  ended  their  days. 


THE  EMPEROR,  THE  COURTIER  AND 
THE  PEASANT. 

ONCE  upon  a  time  there  was  an  Emperor  who  ruled 
in  China,  the  country  where  people  wear  pointed 
hats  and  shoes,  and  use  two  little  round  sticks 
called  chopsticks,  instead  of  knives  and  forks  when 
they  eat ;  they  cannot  take  their  food  so  conven- 
iently, though,  especially  when  they  have  to  eat  peas 
or  soup. 

The  Emperor  to  whom  we  refer  would  have 
been  very  good  if  the  courtiers  had  not  spoiled 
him  by  admiring  everything  he  did,  no  matter 
whether  it  was  good  or  bad. 

The  instant  the  Emperor  made  the  slightest 
remark,  the  Lord  Marshal  cried  out,  "  Ah,  how 
wise  ! "  then  the  chamberlains  cried,  "  Ah,  how 
extraordinarily  .wise  !  "  and  then  they  bit  their  toes, 
which  seems  to  be  the  way  in  China  to  express  sur- 
prise. In  this  way,  the  sound  of  great  admiration 
ran  through  the  whole  court. 

And  everybodjr  copied  everything  the  Emperor 
did,  also ;  be  it  never  so  stupid  or  wrong,  the  court- 
iers were  perfectly  charmed  with  it.  "  It  belongs 

36 


THE   EMPEROR,   COURTIER   AND  PEASANT.      37 

to  our  office,  and  we  get  food  and  clothes  as  our 
reward,"  thought  they.  But  as  the  Emperor  in 
China  in  those  days  never  talked  with  any  one  but 
his  courtiers,  he  could  not  be  expected  to  be  any- 
thing but  a  bad  prince,  even  if  he  had  been  ever  so 
wise  by  nature. 

In  China,  just  as  in  other  places,  they  long  for 
spring  and  the  flowers,  and  the  Emperor  felt  the 
same  longing,  powerful  as  he  was. 

When  the  warm  weather  came  he  moved  out 
into  the  country,  and  lived  in  a  pleasure  palace, 
that  was  built  of  the  whitest  porcelain  tiles,  and 
that  was  something  fine,  I  assure  you. 

And  now  the  time  was  approaching  for  the  Em- 
peror to  move  out.  The  Lord  Marshal  entered, 
bowed  himself  to  the  floor,  and  asked : 

"  Does  the  All-Most-Gracious  Emperor  command 
that  it  shall  be  spring  ?  " 

The  Emperor  bent  his  head  the  fourth  part  of  a 
nod  ;  that  meant  Yes. 

"  Command  my  brother,  the  Sun,  to  shine  to- 
morrow, at  the  risk  of  being  deprived  of  his 
position,  tied  up  in  a  sack  and  sunk  in  the  harbor, 
if  he  dare  do  otherwise,  because  I  shall  move  to 
the  country  to-morrow,"  said  the  Emperor. 

Now,  I  must  say  in  passing,  that  the  Emperor 
of  China  believes  that  he  is  brother  to  the  Sun  and 
cousin  to  the  Moon  ;  so  the  courtier  sprang  up, 
and  wrote  the  Emperor's  command  to  the  Sun,  on 


38   THE  EMPEEOK,  COURTIER  AND  PEASANT. 

the  finest  Chinese  paper,  which  he  then  burned 
up  in  the  garden  belonging  to  the  castle,  because 
he  thought  that  in  this  way  it  would  come  to  the 
Sun. 

And  then  there  was  much  running  about,  pack- 
ing traveling  bags  and  crown  caskets,  for  the 
Emperor's  journey  to  the  summer  palace,  and  there 
was  a  great  bustling  on  all  sides.  But  at  last  all 
was  done,  so  they  were  able  to  set  out  at  the  right 
time,  and  if  they  had  not,  something  dreadful 
would  have  happened. 

The  sun  shone  as  beautifully  as  possible,  and  so 
did  not  get  thrown  into  a  sack,  but  was  allowed  to 
remain  sitting  in  the  heavens,  which  was  surely  a 
good  thing. 

In  the  morning,  the  day  after  the  Emperor  had 
moved  out,  a  little  bird  seated  itself  just  outside 
of  his  chamber  and  sang  so  beautifully  that  the 
Emperor  had  to  get  up  from  his  bed,  although  it 
was  so  early  in  the  morning  that  no  one  was  awake 
in  the  castle.  But  when  the  Emperor  got  up,  he 
thought  the  bird  sang  still  more  beautifully,  so  he 
was  obliged  to  go  out  and  look  at  it.  He  put  on 
his  gold  shoes,  his  silk  dressing  gown,  set  his 
crown  on  his  head  and  took  his  scepter  in  his  hand 
and  went  out  through  the  glass  doors  into  the 
garden. 

It  was  hardly  six  o'clock,  so  no  one  was  awake. 
But  when  the  Emperor  came  out  into  the  garden, 


THE  EMPEROR,   COURTIER   AND   PEASANT.      39 

the  bird  flew  into  the  forest  and  sang  finer  still. 
"  That  was  stupid  of  me,  not  to  command  it  to 
remain  here,"  thought  the  Emperor ;  "  now  I  am 
ohliged  to  go  out  into  the  woods  to  see  it." 
So  he  opened  the  gate  and  went  out  across  the 
field. 

It  was  a  good  distance  to  walk,  but  everything 
was  so  lovely  in  the  morning  hour,  that  the  Em- 
peror, who  had  never  before  been  out  so  early,  could 
not  turn  back,  but  continued  to  wander  until  he 
came  to  the  edge  of  the  woods. 

A  peasant  was  going  back  and  forth,  ploughing. 
"  Good  day,  peasant,"  said  the  Emperor ;  "that  must 
be  an  Emperor  bird  singing  in  the  forest,  because 
it  sounds  so  beautifully." 

"  No,  my  Lord,  the  Emperor,"  said  the  peasant, 
taking  off  his  cap,  "  that  is  a  blackbird." 

"  You  can  call  it  so,"  said  the  Emperor  ;  "  but  it 
is  an  Emperor  bird,  of  course,  when  I  say  so, 
because  I  never  make  a  mistake.  It  is  certainly 
as  large  as  a  swan,  with  feathers  gleaming  like 
gold." 

"  No,  my  Lord,  the  Emperor,"  said  the  peasant ; 
"  it  happens  to  be  small  and  black." 

At  this  instant  the  blackbird  seated  itself  on  a 
post  in  the  fence  directly  opposite  them,  and  sang 
again,  and  now  it  was  plainly  to  be  seen  that  the 
peasant  was  right. 

"  There   must    certainly   be    something  wrong 


40      THE  EMPEROR,   COURTIER  AND  PEASANT. 

about  the  bird,"  said  the  Emperor;  "because  as  I 
can  never  make  a  mistake,  it  must  be  just  as  I 
said." 

"  But,  my  Lord,  the  Emperor  can  certainty  make 
a  mistake,"  said  the  peasant.  "  Every  human 
being  does  that,  and  you  are  not  more  than 
human." 

The  Emperor  had  never  heard  such  a  speech, 
and  was  so  stupefied  by  it  that  he  let  the  peasant 
go  on. 

"  It  is  only  the  men  at  the  court  who  say  so," 
continued  the  peasant,  "  because  they  wish  to  have 
your  good  will.  They  agree  to  all  that  you  say, 
even  if  it  is  ever  so  absurd,  and  they  praise  your 
actions,  no  matter  how  wrong  they  are." 

"  I  can  never  believe  that,"  said  the  Emperor, 
and  for  very  surprise  let  his  scepter  fall  to  the 
ground. 

"  If  my  Lord,  the  Emperor,  will  only  do  as  I  say, 
a  little  while,"  said  the  peasant,  "  I  will  prove  that 
it  is  true." 

The  Emperor  promised  to  do  so,  although  he 
could  not  comprehend  how  it  was  possible  for  him 
to  be  deceived.  And  now  the  courtiers  came  run- 
ning in  a  procession  over  the  fields,  so  that  their 
slippers  flew  high  in  the  air  around  them,  for  they 
had  waked  up  and  missed  the  Emperor.  Tears 
ran  down  and  dropped  from  their  cheeks,  because 
they  had  smelt  of  pepper  root,  so  it  should  look 


THE  EMPEROR,   COURTIER   AND  PEASANT.      41 

as  if  they  were  weeping  because  the  Emperor  was 
gone. 

"  Command  them  to  stop  now,"  whispered  the 
peasant,  and  the  Emperor  let  them  stop  twenty 
yards  away,  right  in  a  ditch,  which  served  them 
right. 

"  We  have  wept  the  bitterest  tears  because  of 
the  Emperor's  absence,"  said  the  Chief  Master  of 
Ceremonies,  and  dried  his  eyes  with  the  handker- 
chief which  held  the  pepper  root,  and  all  the 
remaining  courtiers  followed  his  example. 

"  How  do  you  dare,  you  peasant,  you,  to  stand 
right  beside  the  Emperor?"  said  the  Lord  Marshal. 
'•  Go  away  to  your  plough." 

"  Say  I  am  already  standing  beside  my  plough," 
whispered  the  peasant  to  the  Emperor,  by  whose 
side  he  remained  standing ;  the  plough  was  quite 
a  distance  from  them. 

"  Do  you  not  see,"  said  the  Emperor,  "  that  he 
already  stands  beside  his  plough  ?  " 

"  Ah,  I  was  mistaken,"  said  the  courtier.  "  Yes, 
now  I  see  ;  he  has  been  standing  right  beside  his 
plough  for  a  long  time.'* 

"  Yes,  he  is  just  a  little  way  the  other  side  of  it, 
I  think,"  said  another. 

"  Ask  them,"  whispered  the  peasant,  "  if  they 
have  ever  seen  such  white  oxen  as  I  am  driving." 

Now  the  peasant's  oxen  were  coal  black,  without 
a  single  white  spot  on  them. 


42   THE  EMPEKOK,  COUKTIER  AND  PEASANT. 

"  Have  you  ever  in  your  life  seen  whiter  oxen 
than  these?"  said  the  Emperor,  pointing  to  the 
peasant's. 

"  No,  never,"  said  the  first  courtier ;  "  they  are 
perfectly  snow  white." 

"  Yes,  they  are  whiter  than  snow,"  said  another. 
"  They  are  so  dazzling  white  that  it  hurts  the  eyes 
to  look  at  them  !  " 

Now  the  Emperor  began  to  suspect  their  bad 
counsel  and  found,  besides,  that  he  could  be 
mistaken,, 

"  Come  hither  with  your  ploughs  and  oxen," 
cried  he  to  some  peasants  who  were  passing  at  a 
distance,  ploughing,  and  they  came  immediately. 

"  There  is  nothing  so  pleasant  to  be  found  as 
ploughing,"  said  the  Emperor. 

"  No,  it  is  an  especially  agreeable  pleasure,"  said 
one  of  the  courtiers. 

"  I  am  charmed  when  I  only  think  of  it,"  said 
another. 

"  It  is  more  exhilarating  than  the  most  delicious 
wine,"  cried  out  a  third,  and  so  on. 

"  It  rejoices  me,  my  Lords,  to  know  you  think 
so,"  said  the  Emperor.  "  In  order  to  insure  you 
an  agreeable  summer,  each  one  shall  take  a  pair  of 
oxen  and  plough  here  in  the  fields  till  its  close; 
that  is  my  command  ;  begin  !  " 

There  was  no  help  for  it ;  the  courtiers  dared 
not  do  otherwise  than  obey,  for  if  they  had,  the 


THE  EMPEROR,  COURTIER  AND  PEASANT.   43 

Emperor  would  have  caused  them  to  be  tied  in  a 
sack  and  cast  into  the  ocean. 

I  really  do  not  know  how  they  got  on  afterwards, 
for  they  had  never  touched  a  plough  before,  and  so 
knew  nothing  about  the  work.  But  the  peasant 
went  to  the  castle  and  became  the  Emperor's  coun- 
selor, and  the  Emperor  caused  this  whole  story  to 
be  written  with  golden  letters  on  a  block  of  marble. 
Many  have  seen  the  inscriptions,  but  there  are  not 
many  who  have  read  them,  which  may  be  due  to 
the  fact  that  the  Chinese  alphabet  is  a  little  bewil- 
dering and  hard  to  learn.  But  now  you  can  tell 
all  about  it,  can  you  not  ? 


THE   SWEET-BRIER   ROSE. 

BESIDE  a  great  country  road  there  grew  a  wild 
thorn-bush  with  big  sharp  thorns  on  the  branches 
which,  moreover,  were  clothed  with  only  a  few  half- 
withered  leaves.  It  stood  there,  a  picture  of  malice 
and  unfruitfulness  ;  travelers  shunned  it  and  not  a 
bird  would  build  its  nest  in  its  branches. 

One  day  a  poor  woman  wandered  by  with  a  baby 
in  her  arms  ;  her  face  was  pale  and  thin ;  sorrow 
and  anxiety  were  written  on  her  brow  and  in  her 
eyes,  which  were  bent  upon  the  little  one  that 
rested  in  her  arms. 

The  child  was  sick,  perhaps  dying,  and  the 
mother,  alone  and  with  the  deepest  grief  in  her 
heart,  stood  on  the  road,  far  from  any  human  habi- 
tation. She  saw  neither  the  flowers,  nor  the  sun's 
bright  rays  which  glowed  in  the  west,  nor  the  wild 
thorn-bush  beside  which,  worn  out  with  anxiety,  she 
now  sank  down.  She  spread  her  shawl  on  the 
ground  and  laid  the  tender  little  thing  upon  it,  but 
he  did  not  open  his  eyes  ;  only  by  the  fever  that 
throbbed  in  his  breast  could  one  see  that  he  still 
lived. 

44 


THE   SWEET-BIUER   ROSE.  45 

Then  the  sorrowing  mother  stretched  out  her 
arms  towards  heaven,  clasped  her  hands  and  prayed, 
as  only  a  mother  can  pray,  for  her  darling's  life. 
She  did  not  notice  that  she  had  flung  her  arms 
around  the  wild  thorn-bush ;  she  did  not  feel  the 
sharp  thorns  piercing  her  breast ;  she  thought  only 
of  God  and  her  child. 

She  ended  her  prayer  and  turned  again  towards 
her  darling,  when  lo !  he  had  opened  his  great  blue 
eyes,  and  his  little  mouth  smiled  to  the  mother 
and  called  her  from  most  bitter  sadness  to  blessed 
joy.  With  a  sigh  of  gratitude,  which  came  from 
the  depths  of  her  loving  heart,  she  took  the  child 
in  her  arms  and  hurried  away  with  flying  steps. 

Awhile  after,  a  man  passed  along  the  road,  and 
his  eyes  fell  on  the  wild  thorn-bush,  which  was  no 
longer  the  same  plant.  It  was  covered  with  fresh 
green  leaves,  and  among  them  shone  out  the  loveli- 
est red  roses  !  They  had  sprung  up  from  the  blood 
drops  which  clung  to  the  thorns  when  they  pierced 
the  praying  mother's  breast. 

Her  warm,  devoted  love  had  given  new  life  to 
the  half-withered,  despised  thorn-bush,  which  be- 
came transformed  to  the  most  beautiful  sweet-brier 
rose-bush.  The  wanderer  stood  spell-bound  before 
the  lovely  plant  from  which  he  broke  a  branch  and 
set  it  in  the  ground,  and  from  this  branch  have 
sprung  all  the  beautiful,  red,  sweet-brier  roses  —  the 
flowers  of  love. 


STINGY-MANS.* 

THERE  was  once  a  peasant  who  was  so  rich  that 
all  his  bureau  drawers  were  filled  with  sinning  sil- 
ver dollars,  the  walls  of  his  rooms  were  covered 
with  shining  copper  kettles,  and  in  his  stables  stood 
five  splendid  colts.  He  had  so  many  fine  things 
besides,  that  if  I  should  try  to  tell  about  them 
all,  this  story  would  be  so  long  you  would  fall 
asleep  before  the  close. 

Yes,  he  was  a  powerfully  rich  peasant  and  he 
wanted  every  one  to  know  it,  too.  So  he  had  a 
fine  overcoat  made  which  he  wore  in  the  middle  of 
the  summer,  although  he  suffered  terribly  with  the 
heat ;  but  "  one  must  live  according  to  his  circum- 
stances," he  thought.  So  he  submitted  to  it.  He 
even  wrapped  a  yellow  silk  handkerchief  around 
his  neck,  carried  an  umbrella  under  his  arm  and 
wore  overshoes  on  his  feet,  even  if  it  did  not  rain 
for  fourteen  days.  "  To  show  that  I  can  afford 
them,"  thought  he. 

He  believed  that  because  he  was  so  very  rich,  it 
was  not  necessary  for  him  to  bend  himself  to  the 

*  Pronounced  Moance. 

46 


STINGY-MANS.  47 

poor  people,  even  if  they  greeted  him  ever  so 
kindly.  When  the  bell  ringer  bowed,  he  touched 
the  brim  of  his  hat,  and  for  the  minister  he  took  it 
off  a  little  way. 

But  when  the  baron  from  the  county  seat  drove 
past,  the  peasant  bowed  very  politely,  because  the 
baron  was  said  to  be  immensely  rich.  People  said 
of  the  rich  peasant  that  he  was  foolish  and  laughed 
at  him,  but  he  did  not  appear  to  notice  this ;  he 
was  probably  near-sighted. 

This  peasant  was  named  Mans  ;  some  called  him 
"  Rich-Mans,"  and  he  liked  the  name,  but  most 
people  called  him  "  Stingy-Mans,"  and  this  name 
he  did  not  like  at  all. 

The  people  who  dwelt  on  Stingy-Mans'  estate 
were  as  poor  as  he  was  rich.  After  a  farm  laborer 
had  lived  there  awhile  he  was  always  in  debt  to 
Stingy-Mans,  and  no  matter  how  hard  he  worked 
and  toiled,  his  debts  always  became  larger  and 
larger. 

When  the  people  noticed  this,  they  thought  it 
was  useless  to  wear  themselves  out  when  they  were 
no  better  off  for  it,  so  they  grew  lazy  and  careless, 
and  were  of  little  service  if  Mans  or  the  overseer 
did  not  stand  over  them. 

The  poorest  of  all,  however,  was  Peter,  for  he 
was  married  and  had  five  children  whose  appetites 
grew  in  the  race  with  poverty.  But  Peter  was 
neither  lazy  nor  careless  like  the  other  laborers ;  he 


48  STINGY- MANS. 

worked,  no  matter  how  dark  the  future  looked. 
Folks  said  he  was  simple  to  throw  himself  away, 
and  stupid  to  believe  there  would  be  any  change. 
But  Peter  was  persistent  in  his  trust ;  for  he  had 
read  that  one  ought  to  have  a  firm  hope,  and  for 
that  reason  he  continued  to  work  and  be  cheerful. 
So  he  rubbed  his  strong  hands,  took  hold  of  the 
plough  or  axe  and  worked  briskly,  singing  a  joyful 
song. 

Up  to  this  time  neither  Peter  nor  his  wife  and 
children  had  suffered  much  from  hunger,  although 
many  times  the  table  had  been  bare  and  the  meal 
chest  empty.  On  such  occasions  a  good  neighborly 
woman  had  brought  them  a  few  cakes,  or  a  traveler 
would  give  the  children  a  penny  for  opening  the 
gates,  arid  so  on. 

In  Peter's  cottage  there  dwelt  a  little  hobgoblin, 
who  wished  Peter  well  from  the  bottom  of  his 
heart.  He  often  stood  on  the  floor  in  the  moon- 
light with  his  little  red  cap  awry,  his  hands  behind 
his  back,  and  pondered  on  some  way  to  make  it 
better  for  his  friends.  As  soon  as  any  one  awoke, 
he  disappeared  at  once  behind  the  stove,  so  that  no 
one  caught  sight  of  him  ;  but  he  rendered  many 
services  to  the  household  unnoticed. 

If  any  one  of  the  children  pulled  the  bedclothing 
off  on  cold  winter  nights,  he  put  it  back  on  them  and 
tucked  them  up  very  carefully.  If  a  rat  came  and 
gnawed  at  the  scanty  supply  of  biscuits,  he  pinched 


STINGY   MANS.  49 

its  nose,  so  it  ran  away  as  fast  as  it  could.  In 
this  way  he  contributed  much  to  the  comfort  in 
the  poor  little  cot. 

One  day  Peter  needed  to  go  to  the  mill  to  grind 
the  corn  which  was  left  in  the  bag,  but  as  he  was 
also  obliged  to  go  out  and  work  for  Stingy-Mans, 
he  did  not  get  a  chance  to  go  with  the  grist,  for 
the  reason  that  he  was  not  able  to  do  two  things  at 
the  same  time.  He  was  at  a  loss  what  to  do  and 
stood  pondering  awhile  about  it,  because  the  meal 
was  out. 

Then  the  hobgoblin  caught  him  by  the  skirt  of 
his  coat,  and  led  him  up  to  the  garret;  but  Peter 
did  not  know  that  the  hobgoblin  drew  him  there ; 
he  thought  he  went  up  there  to  get  a  whetstone 
that  hung  on  the  roof  of  the  garret.  Just  as  he 
came  up  there,  his  eyes  fell  upon  an  old  handmill, 
which  was  lying  in  a  corner.  Peter  had  owned 
this  for  many  years,  but  had  entirely  forgotten  its 
existence. 

"  I  will  take  that  down  and  put  it  in  order," 
said  Peter,  "  and  then  I  can  grind  the  corn  in  it ; 
it  was  a  lucky  chance  that  brought  me  up  here," 
he  added. 

If  Peter  had  only  known  who  led  him  up  there 
he  would  not  have  said  it  happened  by  chance,  for 
nothing  happens  that  way. 

In  the  meantime  he  took  the  mill  and  put  it  in 
order  and  made  it  strong  again  ;  then  he  threw  in 


50  STINGY-MANS. 

the  corn  and  drew  the  stone  around,  arid  the  mill 
worked  so  easily  (for  the  hobgoblin  was  helping) 
it  was  a  pleasure  to  do  it.  The  grist  passed 
through  an  old  sieve  and  became  very  fine  meal, 
so  that  Peter  and  his  family  were  glad  and 
thankful. 

Just  as  the  meal  was  done,  there  came  an  old 
woman  from  the  next  farm,  and  asked  to  borrow 
a  little  of  it,  because  she  had  nothing  to  eat,  and 
Peter's  folks,  who  were  always  helpful,  gave  her  a 
scoop  full  in  the  towel  she  brought. 

So  the  meal  was  cooked  into  porridge  and  it  was 
unusually  fine  porridge,  because  generosity  is  such 
a  good  spice  to  food. 

And  the  old  woman  praised  the  meal  which  she 
borrowed.  "  I  have  never  seen  the  match  for  this 
meal ;  "  these  were  her  own  words. 

Then  all  the  neighbors  came  to  Peter  with  corn 
and  asked  to  grind  it  in  his  mill,  and  each  one  left 
a  few  kernels  for  him,  so  that  the  poor  family  had 
plenty  to  eat. 

One  day  when  Stingy-Mans  went  into  his  gar- 
den he  saw  too  men  passing  by,  each  carrying  a 
bag  on  his  back,  and  he  asked  them  where  they 
were  going.  They  told  him  they  were  going  to 
Peter's  to  grind  corn,  and  also  informed  him  that 
Peter  owned  an  excellent  hand-mill. 

This  news  filled  Stingy-Mans  with  envy,  and  he 
at  once  made  up  his  mind  to  take  the  hand-mill 


STINGY-MANS.  51 

away  from  poor  Peter.  Calling  him  in  he  said: 
"  You  are  so  heavily  in  debt  to  me  that  I  could  put 
you  in  prison  if  I  wanted  to,  but  as  I  am  a  kind- 
hearted  man,  I  should  not  like  to  do  you  any  harm, 
so  I  shall  only  take  your  mill  towards  the  payment 
of  your  debts." 

Now  Stingy-Mans  would  not  have  put  Peter  in 
prison,  for  he  was  his  best  workman ;  he  only  said 
this  so  he  could  get  the  mill. 

A  wagon  was  at  once  sent  to  Peter's  cottage,  and 
the  mill  put  into  it  and  driven  away.  The  mill  in 
itself  was  not  of  much  value,  but  as  it  was  the  best 
thing  the  poor  family  owned,  it  was  a  great  treasure 
to  them.  The  wife  and  children  cried  and  were 
much  distressed,  therefore,  when  the  mill  was 
taken  away. 

Stingy-Mans  had  the  mill  set  up  in  a  store  and 
gave  out  word  that  the  folks  around  should  have 
the  privilege  of  using  it,  just  as  before,  by  paying 
a  trifle.  But  first  he  wished  to  grind  some  corn  for 
himself. 

Even  in  Stingy-Mans'  dwelling  there  was  a  hob- 
goblin to  be  found,  but  as  the  master  of  the  house 
was  wicked,  the  hobgoblin  did  all  he  could  to  an- 
noy and  trouble  him.  So  when  the  grinding  be- 
gan, he  threw  sticks  and  dirt  into  the  meal,  and  it 
turned  out  to  be  a  very  poor  quality  indeed. 

When  Stingy-Mans  tasted  of  the  porridge,  it  was 
as  if  he  had  swallowed  shoe-pegs,  it  tore  his  throat 


52  STINGY-MANS. 

so,  and  a  big  stick  got  caught  in  his  tongue,  so  he 
was  obliged  to  go  to  the  doctor  to  have  it  taken 
out,  and  that  cost  money. 

The  meal  of  the  neighbors  was  just  as  bad,  so 
they  stopped  using  the  mill ;  the  hobgoblin  was  to 
blame  for  that. 

But  Peter  worked  and  suffered  as  before  ;  they 
were  just  as  poor  in  the  little  cottage,  and,  in  fact, 
a  great  deal  more  so.  And  the  little  hobgoblin 
thought  and  pondered  on  how  he  should  be  able  to 
do  something  for  his  friends. 

One  evening  Peter's  wife  found  a  hen  right 
beside  the  road,  which  some  hawk  had  probably 
caught  and  then  dropped,  because  it  was  much 
bruised  and  bleeding.  It  was  taken  into  the 
cottage  and  laid  on  a  bit  of  straw  in  a  corner; 
they  hardly  thought  it  would  live  till  morning,  it 
was  so  badly  hurt. 

But  in  the  night  the  hobgoblin  came  out  and 
spread  salve  on  the  bruises,  so  that  the  next  day 
the  hen  was  perfectly  well  again.  As  it  was  im- 
possible to  learn  anything  of  the  owner,  the  hen 
was  allowed  to  remain  in  the  cottage. 

But  it  was  no  ordinary  hen  ;  she  could  lay  eggs 
and  crow,  and  do  both  better  than  half  a  dozen 
common  hens  and  roosters  could  have  done.  As 
soon  as  the  clock  struck  four  in  the  morning,  she 
called  out,  "  Kukkeliku  !  "  so  that  every  one  in  the 
house  awoke  and  went  joyfully  to  work. 


STINGY-M^NS.  53 

And  so  the  hen  laid  eggs,  not  one,  but  two,  and 
sometimes  three  a  day,  and  the  city  folks  gladly 
paid  twice  as  much  for  them  as  for  ordinary  eggs, 
because  they  were  so  large  and  choice.  Yes,  it 
seemed  as  if  a  real  blessing  had  fallen  upon  the 
house,  in  the  hen. 

The  fame  of  the  wonderful  bird  spread  over  the 
whole  parish  and  even  came  to  the  ears  of  Stingy- 
Mans.  He  thought  at  once  that  it  was  altogether 
too  much  for  poor  Peter  to  own  such  a  rare  fowl  ; 
so  he  took  the  hen  away  from  the  poor  family, 
under  the  pretext  that  it  picked  the  grain  out  of 
his  fields.  But  this  was  a  falsehood,  because  the 
hen  was  a  well-bred  and  gentle  creature  and  never 
did  anything  naughty.  But  the  hen  was  put  into 
Stingy-Mans'  hen-house. 

In  the  morning,  when  the  maid  servant  went  to 
feed  the  hens,  there  lay  the  whole  twenty  together 
with  the  rooster,  with  their  necks  wrung;  only 
Peter's  hen  remained  sitting  on  the  roost. 

Then  Stingy-Mans  thought  perhaps  he  had  done 
wrong  to  Peter,  but  he  put  that  thought  immedi- 
ately out  of  his  mind,  and  the  hen  was  put  in  with 
the  ducks  and  geese. 

Next  morning  the  goose-house  presented  the 
same  appearance  as  the  hen-house  the  day  before ; 
all,  both  the  ducks  and  geese,  lay  dead  on  the  floor. 

Stingy-Mans  now  knew  perfectly  well  that  it 
was  a  punishment  to  him  for  doing  wrong,  but 


54  STINGY-MANS. 

it  was  so  hard  to  change  that  he  would  not  think 
of  it  at  all.  He  did  not  dare  to  keep  the  hen,  so 
he  had  her  killed  and  fried  and  he  ate  her  up  for 
supper,  then  went  to  bed  and  believed  the  hen 
could  never  do  any  more  harm. 

But  the  hen  was  large  and  fat,  and  Stingy-Mans 
could  not  bear  such  strong  food.  He  waked  np, 
therefore,  in  the  middle  of  the  night  and  was  ter- 
ribly frightened  when  he  heard  the  dead  hen  crow 
and  cry,  "  Kukkeliku !  Peter's  mill ! " 

He  was  really  terrified  and  thought  the  hen  sat 
under  the  bed,  but  it  was  worse  than  that ;  the  hen 
that  he  had  eaten  up  had  come  to  life,  tore  him  with 
her  claws  and  sat  with  her  head  in  his  throat,  cry- 
ing incessantly,  "  Kukkeliku  !  Peter's  mill !  " 

"  I  will  take  some  brandy,"  thought  Stingy- 
Mans,  "and  I  shall  feel  better."  But  instead 
of  getting  better,  he  grew  worse.  Stingy-Mans 
dressed  himself  and  rushed  out  over  the  rocky  hills, 
his  hair  standing  on  end,  but  that  did  not  help  him 
any  more  than  the  brandy.  Nowhere  did  he  rind 
rest,  and  he  thought  Peter's  hen  had  a  brood  of 
chickens,  into  the  bargain,  because  he  heard  a  whole 
flock  of  crowing  hens.  One  cried,  "  Kukkeliku  I 
Johan's  cow !  "  another  cried,  "  Kukkeliku  !  Lasse's 
pig  ! "  and  so  on,  all  reminding  him  of  some  wrong 
thing  he  had  done. 

Well,  he  came  near  going  insane,  because  he 
found  no  rest,  neither  night  nor  day.  At  last  he 


STIXGY-MANS.  55 

decided  to  go  to  the  minister's  and  get  his  advice, 
because  the  minister  ought  to  be  a  very  wise  man. 
And  the  minister  talked  a  long  time  with  Mans. 
I  am  not  perfectly  sure  of  what  he  said,  but  when 
Mans  came  home  he  sent  for  Peter,  begged  his  for- 
giveness and  gave  him  a  cow  and  a  hundred  riks- 
daler.  Yes,  this  is  as  true  as  the  living  day  ! 

And  then  he  sent  for  all  the  laborers  who 
were  owing  him  money,  and  raised  their  pay ! 
And  Mans  became  at  once  like  another  man,  so 
kind  and  helpful  towards  the  poor,  and  was  no 
longer  overbearing. 

As  soon  as  Mans  began  to  do  good,  the  hen 
stopped  crowing  in  his  throat,  and  he  became  calmer 
in  mind.  Indeed  it  was  a  wonderful  change  that 
took  place  in  him  in  so  short  a  time ! 

And  in  Peter's  cottage  there  was  great  rejoic- 
ing when  he  came  home  with  the  money.  All 
the  children,  the  wife  and  Peter  himself,  had  new 
clothes,  so  they  looked  very  neat  on  Sunday  when 
they  went  to  church,  and  the  hobgoblin  kept  his 
eyes  open  and  took  some  small  bits  and  made  him- 
self a  new  cap,  because  he  thought  the  family  could 
afford  it  now. 

And  the  people's  prosperity  increased  and  Peter 
was  more  cheerful  even  than  before  and  always 
helpful  to  those  more  needy  than  himself.  His 
children  are  now  grown  up  and  work  on  the 
neighboring  estates.  On  Sundays  they  come  home 


56  STINGY-MANS. 

for  a  visit,  when  their  happiness  fills  the  cottage  to 
the  roof. 

At  night  the  hohgoblin  dances  on  the  floor,  and 
the  tassel  on  his  pointed  cap  hops  up  and  down, 
but  no  one  can  hear  him,  he  is  so  light  of  foot. 

Our  story  is  ended,  but  Peter  and  Mans  live  on. 


THE   FOREST  TREES. 

SUMMER  was  over.  The  mists  began  to  exhale 
from  the  marshes,  and  the  autumn  wind  swept 
over  field  and  forest.  The  birds  sought  shelter 
among  the  branches  or  flew  to  warmer  climes,  for 
they  knew  that  a  cold  and  severe  time  was  coming. 

Out  in  the  forest  sat  a  little  bird  on  a  branch; 
he  could  not  fly  away,  because  his  wings  were 
wounded.  He  beseeched  the  birch  :  "  Dear  birch, 
let  me  hide  myself  among  your  green  leaves,  be- 
cause the  autumn  wind  blows  so  cold,  so  cold!" 

But  the  birch  answered  :  "  That  you  cannot  do, 
because  you  might  injure  my  buds,  and  ruin  my 
fine  attire  ;  away  with  you  !  " 

So  the  little  creature,  shivering  with  cold,  hopped 
to  the  strong  oak  and  begged  : 

"  Dear  oak,  let  me  hide  among  your  green 
branches  and  leaves,  because  I  shiver  so  much,  so 
much !  " 

But  the  oak  answered:  "Away  with  you! 
You  might  steal  some  of  my  acorns,  and  soil  my 
spotless  garments.  You  cannot  stay  with  me  !  " 

Then  the  poor  bird  hopped  to  the  willow  beside 

57 


58  THE  FOREST   TREES. 

the  brook  and  said :  "  Kind  willow,  let  me  creep  in 
among  your  leaves  or  I  shall  die  of  cold." 

But  the  willow  answered :  "  I  do  not  know  you, 
and  besides,  I  am  afraid  for  my  garments.  What 
would  the  other  trees  think  if  they  should  see  me 
conversing  with  one  so  poor  and  wretched  looking 
as  you  ?  " 

Thus  the  little  bird  went  to  all  the  leafy  trees 
in  the  forest  and  begged  for  shelter,  but  none  would 
protect  him,  and  he  came  near  dying  with  cold. 
At  last  he  came  to  the  place  where  the  spruce,  pine 
and  juniper  stood,  but  he  could  not  speak  then,  for 
he  was  nearly  frozen. 

When  the  spruce  caught  sight  of  the  poor  little 
thing  it  said  :  "  Come  here  to  me,  you  poor  little 
bird,  and  you  shall  warm  yourself !  Come  under 
my  branches,  they  are  soft  and  warm  !  " 

The  pine  said  :  "  I  have  not  such  thick  branches 
as  my  sister,  the  spruce,  but  I  shall  stand  here  and 
defy  the  north  wind,  so  that  he  cannot  harm  you, 
poor  little  bird !  " 

And  the  pine  stretched  out  its  tall  limbs  and 
helped  the  spruce  to  protect  the  forlorn  little  one. 

The  juniper  said  :  "  I  am  small  and  humble,  but 
when  you  are  hungry,  come  to  me,  because  I 
have  good,  soft  berries,  and  you  shall  have  them 
so  freely,  so  freely  !  " 

And  thus  the  wounded  bird  received  food  and 
shelter  from  the  warm-hearted  trees. 


THE  FOREST  TREES.  59 

But  night  came  on  with  frost  and  storm,  and  in 
the  morning  the  leaf  trees'  green  attire  lay  on  the 
ground,  ruined,  and  the  autumn  wind  shook  their 
naked  branches  ;  but  the  evergreen  trees  that  had 
shown  kindness  and  given  shelter  to  the  poor 
defenseless  little  bird,  stood  there  just  as  green 
and  beautiful  as  ever.  For  no  winter  cold  could 
rob  them  of  their  magnificent  robes. 


THE  ANGEL   OF  THE   FLOWERS. 

LIKE  a  bird's  nest  concealed  among  spreading 
birches  and  alders,  lay  the  cottage  in  which  little 
Frida  lived.  Flowers  of  many  and  various  kinds 
grew  and  blossomed  around  it,  and  these  were  the 
child's  playmates  and  her  best  friends.  She  had 
none  other,  because  it  was  seldom  any  one  visited 
the  poor  widow  —  her  mother. 

And  so  the  flowers  became  dearer  to  Frida  than 
they  otherwise  would  have  been,  perhaps. 

From  early  spring  until  late  fall  she  devoted 
every  leisure  moment  to  her  perfumed  friends  whom 
she  loved  so  well. 

She  delighted  in  their  beautiful  color,  she 
breathed  in  their  sweet  perfume,  and  talked  to 
them  as  if  they  were  little  children,  which  indeed 
the  flowers  really  are.  Of  course  they  could  not 
talk  to  her,  but  when  the  wind  sighed  among  the 
green  trees,  they  nodded  their  small  heads  towards 
her,  and  little  Frida  understood  the  nodding  per- 
fectly well.  It  meant :  "  Good  day,  good  day  ! 
we  like  you  so  much  !  " 

But  you  must  not  think  that  Frida  forgot  her 

60 


THE  ANGEL  OF   THE  FLOWERS.  61 

mother  for  the  flowers,  for  she  was  a  tender  little 
daughter  and  did  all  that  an  eight-year-old  girl 
could  do,  to  lighten  her  cares.  If  by  her  efforts 
and  industry  she  succeeded  in  calling  a  smile  of 
pleasure  to  her  mother's  face,  the  little  Frida 
was  fully  rewarded.  At  such  times  she  would 
run  smilingly  about  among  her  flowers,  nod  to 
them,  and  tell  them  how  happy  she  felt ! 

But  to-day  Frida  was  not  cheerful.  She  stood 
among  her  favorites  with  tear-filled  eyes,  and  sob 
after  sob  rose  from  her  breast.  Then  she  thought 
that  all  at  once  the  flowers  shed  a  more  agreeable 
fragrance  than  they  had  ever  done  before,  and  also 
that  they  bowed  their  heads  lower. 

Frida  looked  around,  astonished,  when  lo  !  there 
stood  by  her  side  a  girl  with  rosy  cheeks  and  clear 
blue  eyes,  and  on  her  golden  locks  she  wore  a  wreath 
of  forget-me-nots.  Her  dress  was  as  white  as  the 
petals  of  a  lily,  and  in  one  hand  she  carried  some 
newly  blossomed  lilies  of  the  valley.  She  was 
smaller  than  Frida,  and  seemed  more  delicate. 

"  Why  are  you  so  sad,  my  little  sister  ? "  she 
asked,  throwing  her  arms  about  Frida's  neck.  The 
stranger's  voice  sounded  friendly,  and  as  mild  as  a 
soft  flute. 

"  Oh,  if  you  only  knew  how  sorrowful  we  are," 
replied  little  Frida.  "  Mamma  is  sick,  and  we  have 
no  money  to  buy  medicines  !  " 

"Do  not  grieve,  little  sister,"  said  the  stranger, 


62       THE  ANGEL  OF  THE  FLOWERS. 

"because  God  will  surely  help  you;  I  know  that 
you  have  asked  him.  But  have  you  no  friends  to 
whom  you  can  go  ?  " 

"  No,"  replied  Frida, "  we  know  no  one  —  not  one 
who  would  help  us." 

"  Well,"  added  the  other,  "  you  love  flowers  very 
much  ;  they  are  your  good  friends  and  will  surely 
help  you." 

"  Oh !  how  can  they  help  us  ?  "  cried  Frida. 

"  Come  with  me,"  said  the  stranger,  and  she  led 
Frida  out  among  the  flowers.  She  began  to  pluck 
and  bind  them  together  in  small  bunches,  which 
she  held  out  to  Frida.  Such  beautiful  nosegays 
Frida  had  never  before  seen  !  They  were  so  taste- 
fully arranged  that  each  flower's  beauty  added  to 
that  of  the  others ;  even  the  plain,  grajash  cotton 
weed  looked  pretty  among  its  more  richly  dressed 
sisters. 

And  did  they  not  smell  sweetly  —  the  small 
wild  flowers !  Frida  had  never  seen  anything 
more  lovely  or  smelled  sweeter  odors  ;  she  gazed 
entranced  on  the  nosegays,  which  she  collected  in 
her  apron. 

"  Now,  my  little  sister,  you  have  what  you  need," 
said  the  stranger.  "Send  them  into  the  city  to  be 
sold,  and  you  will  have  money.  Come  here  again 
to-morrow,  that  I  may  hear  how  you  have  suc- 
ceeded," and  pressing  a  kiss  on  Frida's  forehead, 
she  vanished  before  the  little  girl  could  thank  her. 


THE  ANGEL  OF  THE  FLOWERS.       63 

A  good  woman  of  the  neighborhood  took  the 
nosegays  with  her  to  the  city.  Every  one  strove  to 
buy  one,  because  they  had  never  before  seen  any- 
thing so  lovely.  The  money  the  flowers  brought 
was  sufficient  to  provide  medicine  and  other  things 
that  were  necessary  for  the  sick  one  at  home. 

And  little  Frida  was  so  happy,  so  happy  !  She 
ran  about  among  the  flowers,  as  blithe  as  a  bird  in 
spring,  to  see  if  her  little  benefactress  of  the  day 
before  would  appear  again.  And  there  on  a  green 
tuft  stood  the  stranger  maiden,  dressed  as  before. 

As  Frida  drew  near,  she  floated  so  lightly  to  meet 
her,  that  the  flowers  which  she  touched  did  not 
bend  under  her  feet. 

"  Sister,  sister,"  said  she,  and  threw  her  little 
arms  around  Frida's  neck,  "  do  you  see  that  God 
has  helped  you  through  your  little  friends,  the 
flowers  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  and  I  am  so  happy !  "  said  little  Frida, 
"  and  I  thank  you,  dear,  kind  maiden,  for  being  so 
good  to  me ;  without  you  I  surely  could  not  have 
done  anything.  Come  with  me  to  see  mamma, 
that  she,  too,  may  thank  you,  for  she  would  gladly 
do  so." 

The  stranger  smiled,  like  a  newly  blown  rose, 
when  it  greets  the  sun's  rays  for  the  first  time. 

"  I  cannot  go  with  you,"  she  said,  "  because  in  a 
few  minutes  I  must  be  far,  far  away  from  here  ; 
but  greet  your  mother  from  the  little  maiden  that 


64       THE  ANGEL  OF  THE  FLOWERS. 

guards  the  flowers.  Perhaps  you  will  never  see 
me  again  ;  but  I  shall  often  be  at  your  side, 
invisible." 

"  No,  no !  do  not  leave  me,"  begged  Frida,  with 
tears  in  her  eyes,  throwing  her  arms  tightly  around 
the  slender  body  of  her  little  friend.  "•  Do  not 
leave  me,  for  you  are  so  kind,  and  I  love  you  so 
much  ;  I  shall  be  sad,  so  sad,  if  you  do  not  come 
again." 

"  Do  not  cry,  beloved  sister,"  said  the  unknown 
one,  and  her  tender  blue  eyes  beamed  with  a 
heavenly  light,  "  do  not  cry  !  When  the  spring 
sun  smiles  and  the  drifts  melt,  when  the  hepatica 
uplifts  its  little  head  from  the  mossy  turf,  then  I 
shall  return,  and  each  day,  as  long  as  summer 
lasts,  I  shall  visit  the  flowers  and  you  ;  when 
they  nod  to  you,  when  their  fragrance  is  wafted 
around  you,  it  is  a  greeting  from  me,  standing 
invisible  by  your  side,  for  1  am  the  Angel  of  the 
Flowers." 

Saying  this,  she  pressed  a  warm  kiss  on  Frida's 
lips,  and  vanished,  though  no  one  could  tell  where. 
But  the  wind  sighed  softly  in  the  lilac  bushes, 
and  the  branches  bowed  as  they  had  never  done 
before ;  the  flowers  drooped  their  heads  to  the 
earth,  and  sent  out  their  perfume,  as  they  do  only 
when  the  Angel  of  the  Flowers  passes  over  them. 


THE    OLD    WOMAN    WHO    WANTED    IT 
FINE  IN  THE  COT. 

THERE  was  once  an  old  man  and  an  old  woman, 
who  were  very  poor  —  and  many  are  like  that ;  but 
they  fell  heirs  to  several  hundred  riksdaler  —  and 
not  many  are  like  that. 

So  they  bought  a  cottage  in  another  parish,  where 
nobody  knew  how  they  had  lived  before  ;  and  then 
they  gave  a  party,  to  which  they  invited  the  bell- 
ringer  and  even  the  minister  himself. 

"  We  must  live  according  to  our  position  now," 
said  the  old  woman,  and  the  old  man  repeated 
her  words,  for  he  always  said  just  what  his  wife 
did. 

They  bought  all  sorts  of  fine  things  in  the  city, 
and  baked  cakes  at  home,  which  were  yellow  with 
saffron,  and  had  raisins  on  top.  All  this  made  a 
deep  hole  in  the  purse,  as  the  saying  is,  "  but  noth- 
ing venture,  nothing  have,"  thought  they,  and  so  it 
was  done. 

The  cottage  floor  was  scoured,  the  chairs  were 
scoured,  the  windows  were  scoured  —  yes,  even 
the  old  man's  face  was  scoured,  till  he  looked 

65 


66      THE   OLD  WOMAN   WHO   WANTED   IT   FIXE. 

as  fine  and  shining  as  an  old  fashioned  five  ore 
piece.  Then  they  broke  up  twigs  and  strewed  on 
the  floor  of  the  cottage,  and  everything  was  made 
fine  for  the  party. 

In  the  pantry  and  in  the  big  cupboard  stood  the 
food,  but  I  am  compelled  to  say  it  was  not  so  fine 
in  there.  "  No  one  can  see  how  it  looks  in  here, 
and  so  it  can  be  left  anyhow,"  said  the  old  woman. 

On  the  top  shelf  stood  a  jar  full  of  dishwater, 
and  a  preserve  jug.  These  were  as  like  as  two 
brothers  ;  as  indeed  they  were,  for  they  had  come 
from  the  pottery  at  the  same  time,  and  were  as  like 
as  two  peas  in  a  pod. 

On  the  shelf  underneath,  there  were  a  fried  fish, 
an  unsecured  kettle  and  a  dustpan.  Underneath 
were  a  cream  pitcher,  a  broom  and  a  milk  pail. 
And  so  it  was  everywhere. 

But  the  dishes  and  food  were  far  from  pleased 
at  this  disorder ;  one  should  do  them  the  justice  to 
say  this,  because  each  one  knew  its  place  perfectly 
well,  and  that  is  knowledge  worthy  of  respect. 

"  I  have  had  to  breathe  so  much  dust  that  I  shall 
surely  get  cold  and  go  into  consumption,"  said  the 
milk-pail,  looking  as  sour  as  possible 

"That  is  a  hint  to  me,  of  course,"  said  the  broom  ; 
"  but  I  wish  to  let  you  know  that  I  never  strove 
to  get  this  place.  I  am  married  to  the  dustpan, 
and  you  shall  see  that  we  can  make  a  place  in 
the  corner,  where  we  can  be  by  ourselves."  The 


THE   OLD   WOMAN   WHO   WANTED  IT   FIXE.    67 

broom   trembled,  being  very  much  excited,  mak- 
ing more  dust  yet. 

"  I  am  nearly  ready  to  burst  with  indignation," 
said  the  preserve  jug.  "  Here  I  stand  beside  a 
common  jar  of  dishwater,  as  if  I  were  no  better 
myself." 

"  Yes,  that  is  well  said,"  replied  the  jar.  "  I 
also  am  as  near  breaking  with  anger  as  can  be  ;  but 
if  I  should  break  in  two  I  might  make  trouble  for 
the  rest  of  you,  so  I  will  hold  together  a  while 
longer." 

"  Break !  Do  not  restrain  yourself  for  my  sake," 
said  the  fried  fish ;  "  water  and  I  have  been  friends 
since  my  earliest  childhood,  and  I  should  not  ob- 
ject to  a  bath  now." 

"  No,  by  all  means  do  not  break !  "  cried  the 
dustpan  ;  "  if  I  should  get  wet,  I  should  rust,  and 
then  the  broom  would  not  like  me  any  longer." 

"  It  is  abominable,"  said  a  kettle  ring,  "  that  it 
should  look  so  here.  Out  in  the  kitchen  every- 
thing is  as  fine  and  clean  as  a  tidy  girl's  doll 
house." 

"  They  scorn  us,"  said  the  coffee-pot ;  "  but  if 
you  are  willing  we  will  be  revenged,"  added  he. 

"  Yes,  yes,"  cried  the  whole  company  in  chorus, 
and  the  coffee-pot  took  the  lead,  having  the  hottest 
temper  as  can  be  seen  by  his  boiling  over  easily. 

Then  there  was  a  long  consultation,  but  it  was 
carried  on  so  silently  that  no  one  could  hear  it; 


68     THE  OLD   WOMAN  WHO   WANTED  IT   FINE. 

but  that  something  important  was  going  on  was 
plainly  to  be  seen. 

A  little  mouse  which  ran  into  the  pantry  was 
sent  with  a  message  to  the  cupboard.  If  her  mis- 
sion succeeded —  the  preserve  jar  promised  —  she 
was  to  be  allowed  to  eat  as  much  preserve  as 
she  chose  and  then  carry  some  home  to  the  mice 
children. 

When  the  old  woman  glanced  in,  everything 
wore  its  usual  expression,  so  she  did  not  suspect 
there  was  anything  going  wrong.  But  all  this 
happened  in  the  morning,  and  the  party  was  not  to 
take  place  until  noon. 

When  the  clock  struck  twelve,  the  bell-ringer's 
wagon  was  seen  on  the  road ;  then  -came  the  min- 
ister, and  others  who  had  been  invited.  The  old 
woman  curtesied  and  the  old  man  bowed  and 
scraped. 

The  table  was  spread,  and  looked  fine,  and  the 
guests  prepared  to  sit  down  to  it.  But  just  at 
that  moment  the  door  of  the  pantry  and  the  door 
of  the  cupboard  flew  open  with  such  a  loud  noise 
that  every  one  turned  to  learn  the  cause  of  it,  and 
by  so  doing  saw  how  disorderly  it  was  within. 

Pitchers,  pans,  kettles,  broom,  in  a  word,  every- 
thing there  was  inside,  hopped  down  on  the  floor 
and  into  the  room,  to  the  great  astonishment  of 
all  present.  Then  the  jug  of  dishwater  began  to 
dance,  and  all  the  other  things  danced  after.  The 


THE  OLD   WOMAJ*   WHO   WANTED  IT  FINE.    69 

coffee-pot  stationed  itself  in  the  middle  of  the  table 
and  sang: 

Dish  pans,  pickle  jars,  brooms  and  milk  pails,  such  a  sight ! 
Such  disorder,  such  disorder,  drives  one  distracted  quite ! 
Purutterut!  Purutterut!" 

The  guests  had  never  seen  or  heard  anything 
like  it  before,  so  the}7  sprang  to  the  door  in  great 
terror,  and  rushed  home.  But  the  old  man  and 
old  woman  were  forced  to  join  in  the  dancing,  and 
as  they  danced,  the  bank  notes  flew  out  of  their 
pockets,  and  through  the  windows,  so  the  old  folks 
became  poor  again. 

And  that  is  the  reason  this  story  is  no  longer. 


THE  LITTLE   SPARROW. 

ONE  day,  late  in  the  fall,  a  little  sparrow  sat  all 
alone  on  a  tree  outside  of  my  window.  He  was 
born  late  in  the  summer,  and  the  tiny  nest  under 
the  eaves  was  his  childhood's  home.  He  did  not 
know  what  winter  had  in  store  for  him,  because 
he  had  never  heard  any  one  talk  about  it. 

A  flock  of  swallows  sailed  past.  They  stopped 
and  spoke  to  the  little  sparrow. 

"  Shall  you  not  go  with  us,  little  sparrow,  to  the 
southern  "lands  ?  " 

The  sparrow  gazed  at  them  in  surprise. 

"  Here  I  was  born,"  said  he,  "  here  I  first  looked 
into  my  mother's  eyes,  and  here  in  the  garden  I 
learned  to  fly.  How  could  I  leave  this  place  ?  I 
should  die  of  grief  in  that  strange  land." 

"  Oh !  you  would  not  die  there,"  said  the  swal- 
lows. "  It  is  so  splendid  and  beautiful  there,  that 
you  would  soon  forget  this  cold  land.  The  skies 
there  are  so  blue,  the  earth  so  green,  the  brooks 
and  lakes  so  clear  and  the  sun  shines  so  warm  and 
soft.  But  the  winter  will  soon  be  here  ;  the  water 
will  freeze  to  ice,  the  ground  will  be  covered  with 

70 


THE  LITTLE   SPAKROW.  71 

snow,  and  the  trees  will  be  bare  and  leafless.  The 
north  wind  will  blow  so  cold,  and  you  will  not  be 
able  to  find  any  food.  You  will  die  of  cold  and 
hunger." 

But  the  little  sparrow  still  sat  there. 

"  Way  off  there  in  the  foreign  land  the  sun  may 
be  warm  and  the  earth  rich,"  said  he,  "  and  perhaps 
I  shall  die  here  of  hunger.  But  even  if  I  should, 
I  had  rather  stay  in  my  native  land,  than  live  in 
luxury  there." 

But  a  little  white  bird  came  from  heaven,  and 
seated  itself  beside  the  sparrow  and  twittered  : 

"Do  not  be  afraid,  little  sparrow.  God  will 
care  for  those  who  love  their  native  land  so  ten- 
derly, because  without  his  knowledge,  not  a  single 
little  bird  can  fall  to  the  earth." 


A   TRUE   STORY. 

UNCLE  STEFAN  was  very  popular  among  the 
children,  because  he  could  tell  stories  by  the  score 
—  and  even  more;  and  who  does  not  like  any 
one  who  can  do  that?  Every  one  does,  of 
course,  and  that  is  why  "the  dear  uncle"  was  so 
beloved. 

One  day  —  it  was  the  sixth  of  June,  1883  — 
Uncle  Stefan  was  away  visiting  a  friend.  He  was 
sitting  looking  into  a  book  which  lay  on  the  table. 
The  book  was  full  of  stories  and  tales  and  pictures, 
and  as  he  read  he  smiled  kindly,  as  only  good 
elderly  people  can  smile. 

In  the  first  place,  the  stories  were  written  for 
children,  but  they  pleased  Uncle  also,  for  he  was 
young  at  heart,  so  he  discovered  something  at  the 
root  of  the  story,  which  rewarded  both  old  and 
young  readers;  and  a  perfect  story  should  always 
be  of  this  kind.  The  tales  in  the  little  book  were 
just  such,  for  it  was  a  genuine  child's  book. 

But  after  Uncle  had  read  a  little  while,  he 
glanced  at  the  first  page  in  the  book,  and  there 
stood  the  picture  of  a  man,  and  a  great  one,  too ; 

72 


A  TETJE   STORY.  73 

it  was  a  portrait  which  Uncle  recognized  perfectly 
—  an  old  boyhood's  friend. 

The  man  whom  it  represented  looked  serious 
and  he  could  really  be  so  when  it  was  necessaiy. 
But  if  one  looked  at  his  eyes,  one  could  see  in- 
stantly that  he  must  be  gentle  and  kind-hearted 
to  all.  Uncle  knew,  and  many,  many  knew  that 
he  was  so,  and  for  this  reason  he  was  deeply 
beloved. 

After  Uncle  had  looked  a  little  while,  he 
exclaimed:  "Yes,  to  be  sure,  to-day  exactly! 
Nine  and  seventy  years ! "  And  Uncle  smiled 
so  pleasantly. 

"What  is  it,  Uncle?  What  is  seventy-nine 
years  ?  "  cried  the  children,  gathering  around  him. 

Uncle  shut  the  book  and  laid  it  on  the  shelf, 
where  it  had  nine  small  sisters  in  just  the  same 
kind  of  dress. 

"  Now  I  shall  tell  you  a  little  true  story,"  said 
he.  They  all  listened  ;  little  Anna  climbed  up  on 
his  knee,  which  was  easy  enough,  for  Uncle  helped 
her.  Then  he  began : 

"  In  the  forest,  where  all  the  birds  live,  the  thing 
I  am  going  to  tell  you  about,  happened.  The  great 
spotted  woodpecker  hops  up  and  down  on  the  trees 
there,  and  chops  very  busily  with  his  bill.  He  is 
the  birds'  carpenter  and  has  to  make  houses  for  a 
great  many  of  them,  so  he  is  obliged  to  work  from 
morning  till  night.  The  crow  hops  on  the  ground 


74  A  THUE   STORY. 

and  wanders  back  and  forth  on  the  turf ;  he  is  the 
birds'  tiller  of  the  land,  and  when  he  cries  '  7v'/W/, 
Jcrah ! '  along  towards  evening  it  means  that  the 
earth  needs  rain,  and  the  crow  understands  that 
better  than  any  farmer  who  has  been  in  an  agricul- 
tural school. 

"  The  owl  is  the  night  police  and  keeps  a  strict 
eye  on  the  rats  and  mice,  so  they  cannot  ruin  this 
and  that.  The  falcons  and  hawks  are  the  warriors. 
They  are  stately  looking,  and  have  crooked  bills, 
just  like  noses  on  distinguished  generals.  And  so 
each  bird  has  his  occupation. 

"  What  do  you  think,  then,  the  song  birds  have 
to  do  ?  Ah  !  they  have  their  part,  too.  They  have 
to  cheer  up  the  other  birds  so  their  work  will  go 
easier ;  they  remind  them  of  the  earth's  beauty,  of 
the  heaven's  splendor  and  of  God's  goodness.  If 
they  should  not  receive  such  a  reminder  often, 
they  would  forget  what  they  ought  to  remember 
first  of  all,  and  their  hearts  would  become  as  hard 
as  the  trees  at  which  the  woodpecker  chops.  Do 
you  not  believe  now  that  the  song-birds  are  useful  ? 

"  Out  there  in  the  green  forest,  many  a  bird  has 
sung  so  beautifully  that  the  whole  region  around 
has  listened  to  his  song.  The  woodpecker  cried, 
'  Plitt,  plitt !  '  the  crow  screamed,  '  Hah,  rah  !  '  and 
the  magpie  laughed  with  all  its  might;  this  all 
meant  that  they  were  pleased  with  the  grand  songs. 

"But  in  the  nests,  on  the  branches,  sat  many  little 


A  TRUE  STORY.  75 

birdlings.  They  also  wished  to  hear  something  fine, 
and  so  stretched  out  their  small  necks ;  but  they 
could  not  understand  what  the  birds  up  there  sang, 
because  it  was  so  grand,  and  the  trills  were  too 
artistic  for  them.  Then  they  drooped  theii;  heads 
and  were  grieved. 

"  But  there  was  one  of  the  birds  singing  up  in 
the  sky,  who  thought  it  was  a  great  pity  about 
the  little  ones,  for  this  bird  had  a  very  kind  heart. 
So  he  thought, '  I  will  fly  down  and  sing  for  them ; 
perhaps  that  will  please  the  little  ones.' 

"  And  he  did  so. 

" '  Oh  !  what  was  that  ? '  asked  the  little  young 
things,  and  lifted  up  their  heads  so  they  could  hear 
better. 

"  '  Oh !  -how  lovely !  oh !  how  lovely ! '  twittered 
all  of  them. 

"  '  I  understand  that  just  as  well  as  what  mamma 
says  to  me,'  said  one. 

"  It  was  in  Love's  language  that  the  bird  sang  to 
them  ;  that  language  always  reaches  the  heart,  and 
it  is  so  easily  understood ;  but  there  are  very  few 
who  can  speak  it. 

"  And  the  song-bird  continued  for  ten  years  to 
cheer  and  guide  the  tender  ones,  and  he  sowed 
many  seeds  (which  in  time  sank  and  bore  fruit) 
into  these  hearts,  and  God  will  reward  him  for  it. 
And  he  has  already  received  a  reward  —  the  best 
that  earth  can  offer :  he  is  heartily  beloved  by  the 


76  A  TRUE   STORY. 

little  ones.  When  they  grew  up  the  love  remained 
in  their  hearts ;  and  how  could  they  forget  him  ? 
He  never  forgot  them  for  the  great,  whose  approval 
he  also  received  in  rich  measure. 

" '  But  how  can  you  make  yourself  so  well  un- 
derstood by  the  little  ones  ?  How  is  it  that  what 
you  sing  gives  them  so  much  pleasure  ? '  asked 
some  of  the  one  who  loved  the  young  creatures  so 
much. 

" '  Their  joy  is  mine,'  replied  he  ;  '  that  is  the 
whole  secret.' 

"That  is  certainly  very  simple,  but  there  are 
very  few  who  understand  the  matter.  That  is 
love's  secret,  which  comes  not  only  from  the  head, 
but  from  the  heart." 

Uncle  Stefan  paused  an  instant. 

"  Is  that  the  end  of  the  story,  Uncle  ?  "  asked 
the  children,  almost  in  the  same  breath. 

"  The  allegory  is  ended,  but  not  my  story,"  he 
replied. 

"Uncle,  then  you  do  not  mean  that  they  were 
real  birds  ?  "  said  Elna,  the  eldest,  and  looked  ques- 
tioningly  at  the  aged  man. 

"  You  guessed  right  that  time,"  said  he. 

"  By  birds  you  meant  people,  Uncle,"  said  Karl. 

"  Right,  my  boy  ;  but  if  birds  mean  people,  what 
do  the  little  birdlings  mean  ?  " 

"  Still,  still,  all  of  you,  I  wish  to  tell  that,"  said 
Elna. 


A  TRUE  STORY.  77 

"  No,  no ;  let  me  tell  it,"  cried  till  but  little  Anna, 
who  sat  on  Uncle's  knee  ;  she  was  barely  five  years 
old,  and  could  not  think  so  quickly  as  the  rest. 

"No;  little  Anna  must  think  that  out,"  said 
Uncle  Stefan.  "Who  would  the  birdlings  be,  if 
birds  were  people  ?  " 

"  Birdlings,  Uncle,  must  be  children,"  said  the 
little  one,  after  a  moment's  thought. 

"Oh  !  to  think  Anna,  who  is  so  little,  can  think 
that  out,"  said  Karl  triumphantly  ;  he  was  nine 
years  old,  and  a  tall  fellow  for  his  age. 

"  And  singing  birds  —  they  are  writers  and  those 
who  help  others  to  live,  and  improve  the  minds  of 
their  fellowmen.  But  now  you  must  tell  me  Avho 
it  is  among  our  writers  that  the  children  like  so 
much,"  continued  Uncle. 

"  O,  Uncle,  Uncle,  I  can  tell  that !  I  can  tell 
that ! "  cried  both  the  elder  ones,  and  were  very 
anxious  to  tell. 

"  I  can  tell  it,  too,"  said  Karl,  who  was  also  sure 
of  his  answer. 

"  Well,  but  little  Anna,  then?  "  asked  Uncle. 

"  Surely  Anna  remembers  who  wrote  the  story 
I  read  to  her  ?  "  said  Elna. 

"  Yes,  yes,"  cried  the  little  one,  "  I  can  say  it. 
May  I  say  it,  Uncle  —  dear  Uncle  ?  " 

"  All  say  it  together,"  said  Uncle  Stefan. 

"  Uncle  Adam  !  "  cried  out  four  joyous  voices  at 
once. 


78  A  TEUE   STORY. 

"  Yes,  children,  it  is  Uncle  Adam  —  Carl  Anton 
Wetterbergh  —  that  I  tried  to  picture  to  you  in  the 
allegory.  When  I  was  reading  just  now,  in  his 
charming  children's  paper,  '  Linnea,'  whose  vol- 
umes for  ten  years  lie  up  there,  I  saw  his  portrait, 
and  then  I  remembered  that  he  will  be  sevent}^- 
nine  years  old  to-day,  because  he  was  born  on  the 
sixth  of  June,  1804.  He  was  the  first  to  start  a 
child's  paper  for  the  youth  of  our  land,  and  no  one 
in  our  country  has  understood  so  well  how  to  talk 
to  them. 

"  When  you  have  read  the  rest  of  his  writings, 
you  will  have  the  strongest  reason  to  love  him. 
May  he  live  many  years  to  enjoy  the  great  affec- 
tion he  has  won,  and  reap  the  harvest  of  what  he 
has  sown."  * 

Then  there  was  something  moist  shining  in  the 
eyes  of  Uncle  and  the  two  eldest  children,  and 
little  Anna  threw  her  arms  around  his  neck  and 
said : 

"  O,  Uncle  !  I  do  love  Uncle  Adam  so  much  ! " 

*  Since  deceased. 


THE   BIRD'S   CHOICE. 

HIGH  up  on  the  top  of  a  leafy  linden  sat  a  little 
bird,  singing  enchanting  melodies.  And  the  sing- 
ing sounded  so  silvery  and  beautiful,  that  all  the 
flowers  in  the  garden  lifted  their  shining  heads  to 
listen. 

"  It  is  to  me  he  sings,"  said  the  haughty,  showy 
tulip,  and  let  its  leaves  shimmer  in  the  sunlight. 
"  And  how  could  it  be  for  any  one  else  ?  I  am 
surely  the  most  beautiful  of  all  the  flowers  of  the 
garden !  " 

"  You  vain  creature  !  "  said  the  swelling  peony, 
shaking  its  great,  dark-red  head.  "As  if  I  could 
not  hear  that  it  is  I  of  whom  he  sings  ! " 

"  You  do  not  seem  to  know  that  there  are  other 
flowers  more  beautiful  still  here  in  the  beds,"  said 
the  aster,  and  tossed  her  little  head.  "  But  we 
shall  see  when  he  comes  down  where  he  will 
tarry,"  she  continued,  shaking  the  dust  from  her 
petals. 

"  How  the  pitiful  things  prate,"  said  the  fine 
dahlia.  "  As  though  every  one  did  not  know  that 
beauty's  prize  is  mine !  " 

79 


80  THE  BIRD'S  CHOICE. 

And  so  spoke  the  daisy  and  the  wild  rose,  and  all 
the  flowers  of  the  garden;  each  one  of  them  con- 
sidered itself  to  be  the  object  of  the  bird's  song. 

But  now  the  little  songster  flew  down  and 
spread  his  wings  over  the  flowers  and  sang  more 
beautifully  than  ever. 

"  He  is  coming  to  me,  he  is  coming  to  me," 
thought  each  one. 

And  the  bird  sank  nearer,  but  not  to  the  proud 
glowing  ones  in  the  flower-beds,  but  to  the  little 
dewdrop  that  stood  in  a  corner  of  the  garden. 
And  the  songster  looked  enchanted  at  the  simple 
plant,  which  shyly  drooped  its  small  flowers  to  the 
ground. 

But  why  does  the  songster  tarry  with  her? 
Ah  !  in  every  one  of  her  leaves  there  is  a  gleaming 
pearl  hidden  —  a  clear  drop  of  dew — in  whose 
bosom  the  pure  and  splendid  arch  of  heaven  is 
mirrored  ;  and  so  the  bird  chose  this  modest  flower 
before  all  the  others  which  were  so  gaily  dressed. 

When  the  little  warbler  becomes  tired  and  de- 
jected after  the  day's  trials  and  griefs,  he  flies 
down  to  the  flower  which  hides  the  pure,  heaven- 
reflecting  dew-pearl  in  its  bosom,  and  then  he 
becomes  refreshed  and  happy,  and  his  tones  ring 
out  exultingly  once  more. 


THE  RARE   PORRIDGE. 

THERE  was  once  a  woman  who  was  very,  very 
poor,  but  she  would  not  beg. 

In  order  to  live,  she  bound  together  fagots  from 
the  forest  and  sold  them  in  the  city ;  but  that  was 
not  enough,  because  she  could  not  earn  money  to 
buy  bread  for  herself  and  the  two  children  she 
had. 

"  No,  that  will  not  do,"  she  thought,  and  so  she 
tried  to  think  of  something  else.  "  I  will  pick 
flowers  and  make  them  into  nosegays ;  they  will 
surely  buy  them,"  she  thought. 

So  she  gathered  lilies  of  the  valley,  may  flowers, 
yellow  cowslips  and  many  other  pretty  flowers,  and 
made  them  into  bunches. 

But  when  she  came  to  the  city  with  them,  every 
one  thought  they  were  too  common.  "  They  are 
only  wild  flowers,"  said  they,  "  and  what  does  one 
want  with  such  rubbish  when  there  are  fine  gar- 
den flowers  to  be  had  ? "  And  so  no  one  would 
buy  them. 

The  poor  woman  did  not  know  what  she  should 
do,  for  she  had  no  food  for  her  children.  Then  she 

81 


82  THE  RARE  PORRIDGE. 

went  into  a  doorway  where  she  thought  no  one 
would  see  her  standing  in  the  corner,  and  began 
to  cry. 

An  earl  lived  in  the  house,  in  the  doorway  of 
which  she  stood.  He  was  the  most  distinguished 
man  in  the  whole  city,  and  was  good  and  kind  be- 
sides. Just  as  he  was  going  out  he  saw  the  woman 
and  said : 

"  Why  do  you  cry,  little  mother  ?  " 

Then  the  woman  told  him  how  badly  things 
were  at  home,  and  that  she  did  not  know  any  liv- 
ing way  to  get  food  for  herself  and  her  children. 

"  Have  you  nothing  at  all  to  give  them  when 
you  come  home  ?  "  he  asked. 

No ;  she  had  not  a  crumb  in  the  house  besides 
some  coarse  groats  that  had  been  given  her  for  a 
pig,  if  she  ever  could  afford  one  ;  but  as  she  had 
never  been  able  to  get  one,  she  had  the  groats 
still. 

"  But  that  will  not  do  for  porridge,"  said  she, 
beginning  to  cry  again. 

The  earl  reflected  awhile  and  then  said  :  "  Do 
not  be  down-hearted,  little  mother ;  I  know  of  a 
way.  I  will  buy  the  porridge,  and  here  is  the 
money  for  it.  When  you  get  home  take  pure 
spring  water  and  make  porridge  of  the  groats  and 
bring  it  here,  and  you  shall  hear  more  from  me." 

The  woman  was  very  happy,  as  you  can  easily 
understand,  and  the  children  too,  arid  the  day  after 


THE  RARE  PORRIDGE.  83 

she  went  to  the  city  with  the  porridge  which  the 
earl  had  bought. 

"  When  people  come  and  wish  to  buy  porridge 
like  this,  do  not  take  less  than  a  riksdaler  a 
pound  for  it,"  said  the  earl,  and  the  woman 
promised. 

"  But  is  he  not  stupid  to  buy  such  dry  sticks?" 
said  she,  which  was  not  just  right  after  all  the 
kind  earl  had  done,  but  the  woman  did  not  know 
any  better,  and  she  was  very  grateful  in  spite  of 
what  she  said. 

That  evening  the  earl  gave  a  grand  reception  ; 
when  all  the  guests  had  taken  refreshment  ac- 
cording to  their  rank  and  position,  as  is  the  cus- 
tom in  the  city,  a  large  silver  tray  was  brought 
in  and  on  it  was  the  porridge  the  poor  woman  had 
made  with  whipped  cream  around  it. 

"  Now,  my  friends,  you  shall  partake  of  some- 
thing rare,  which  you  have  never  before  eaten," 
said  the  earl,  and  each  one  helped  himself  to  the 
porridge. 

"  Is  it  not  wonderful  ?  "  asked  the  earl. 

"  Yes,  it  is  extraordinarily  good ;  "  "  it  has  such 
a  fine  flavor;"  "what  kind  of  delicious  dish  is 
it?  "  sounded  from  all,  and  they  ate  to  their  heart's 
content,  although  it  was  only  coarse  porridge,  as 
you  well  know. 

" Have  you  ever  tasted  anything  like  it?"  whis- 
pered one  to  another.  No,  no  one  had.  The  earl ! 


84  THE    RAKE    POEEIDGE. 

the  earl !  he  always  had  everything  so  wonderfully 
rare. 

"  Who  discovered  this  dish  ?  "  asked  one  of  the 
company. 

"  Ah  !  "  said  the  earl,  "  I  did  so  ;  but  there  is 
only  one  person  who  can  prepare  it  so  it  will  be 
right ;  and  that  is  a  woman  out  in  Brotorpet.  She 
only  charges  a  riksdaler  a  pound,  and  that  is  cer- 
tainly enormously  cheap  !  " 

Yes,  all  agreed  to  that ;  there  could  not  be  two 
opinions  about  it. 

The  next  day  orders  for  porridge  came  from  all 
directions  to  the  poor  woman,  because  every  one 
wished  to  have  food  like  the  earl's,  for  that  was 
something  to  have.  And  the  woman  earned  so 
much  money  that  she  was  put  on  her  feet  again, 
as  we  say,  and  the  porridge  became  famous  round 
about. 

One  day  in  summer,  some  people  were  out  driv- 
ing, and  as  they  drew  near  the  cottage  where  the 
woman  lived,  they  became  hungry.  So  one  of 
them  proposed  that  they  should  seize  the  oppor- 
tunity to  taste  of  the  famous  porridge. 

The  proposition  was  received  with  great  ap- 
plause, as  one  can  readily  understand,  so  all  were 
soon  sitting  around  a  large  dish,  containing  the 
rarity. 

When  the  woman  came  out  to  take  the  pay  for 
it,  one  of  the  company  asked  her :  — 


THE  RARE  PORRIDGE.  85 

"  But  how  can  you  make  such  a  rare  dish  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  think  people  are  crazy  about  that  por- 
ridge," said  the  woman;  "it  is  made  of  nothing 
but  groats  and  water.  But  if  it  tastes  so  good  to 
them,  they  are  perfectly  welcome  to  it.  Will  you 
have  a  little  more  ?  " 

The  whole  company  looked  at  each  other,  and 
all  looked  a  little  confused,  too,  but  no  one  wished 
for  any  more,  because  now  the  flavor  of  groats 
became  so  strong. 

I  do  not  know  whether  any  one  bought  porridge 
afterwards,  but  it  was  all  the  same  to  the  woman, 
because  she  had  already  got  money  enough  to  make 
her  comfortable. 


THE   STORY   OF   UNCLE   NISSE.* 

UNCLE  NISSE  did  not  live  in  one  of  the  great 
streets,  but  far  out,  in  a  little  cottage  which  stood 
on  the  crags  where  the  belfry  was  built.  Here  he 
had  a  little  chamber  with  a  low  window,  and  a 
great  porcelain  stove  in  one  corner.  The  window 
might  have  been  a  little  larger,  because  the  room 
was  very  dark ;  but  the  stove  need  not  have  been 
so  broad,  because  Uncle  Nisse  had  a  lack  of  wood  ; 
yes,  he  lacked  a  little  of  everything  except  good 
disposition  ;  and  he  also  had  many  peculiarities,  so 
they  said ;  but  these  bring  neither  food  nor  clothes. 

Sometimes  he  sat  and  wrote  from  sunrise  to  sun- 
set, and  then  he  read  aloud  what  he  had  written  to 
the  people  in  the  cit}T. 

But  when  the  burgomaster  —  who  was  consid- 
ered to  be  the  wisest  man,  because  he  held  the 
highest  office  —  heard  what  Uncle  Nisse  had 
thought  out  and  written,  he  said  nothing,  but 
shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  that  can  mean  any- 
thing whatsoever. 

"  Yes,  that  man  has  his  peculiarities,"  said  he, 

*  Pronounced  Nis-ser. 

86 


THE   STORY  OF   UNCLE  NISSE.  87 

and  shook  his  head ;  and  so  the  burgomaster's  wife 
shook  her  head,  and  all  the  aldermen  and  their 
wives,  yes,  the  whole  city  did  the  same,  even  to 
lame  Truls,  who  swept  the  .market-place  ou  Satur- 
day evenings. 

"  Yes,  that  man  has  his  eccentricities,"  so  they 
all  shrugged  their  shoulders  and  smiled  scornfully, 
although  most  of  them  had  not  the  slightest  hint 
of  what  was  on  Uncle  Nisse's  paper. 

Uncle  Nisse  stood  in  his  little  chamber ;  he  had 
opened  the  window  and  was  looking  out  over  the 
city,  far  away  towards  the  ocean,  where  the  waves 
gleamed  like  gold  in  the  sun's  rays.  The  window 
was  open  and  the  spring  breeze  —  it  was  in  the 
month  of  May  —  crept  in  and  stroked  him  on  his 
wrinkled  cheeks. 

"  No  one  in  the  city  has  such  a  view  as  I  have," 
said  he,  looking  out  over  the  sunlighted  harbor; 
"  yes,  I  stand  above  them  all,"  said  he,  and  smiled. 

Then  a  piping  and  a  screaming  was  heard  down 
in  the  garden  below ;  an  organ  grinder  with  his 
monkey  had  lost  his  way  and  come  up  on  the  hill. 
A  crowd  of  ragged  children,  most  of  them  boys, 
had  followed  them,  and  the  little  ape  leaped  and 
grinned  at  them.  When  it  caught  sight  of  Uncle 
Nisse,  it  leaped  so  high  and  made  such  a  comical 
grimace  that  all  the  boys  clapped  their  hands. 
Uncle  Nisse  laughed  too,  but  left  the  window  and 
seated  himself  at  the  table.  Then  he  took  a  pen 


88  THE  STOEY  OF  UNCLE   NISSE. 

and  a  bit  of  paper  and  drew  a  face  on  it.  It  was 
the  monkey's,  as  plain  as  daylight,  but  also  very 
much  like  the  burgomaster's. 

Then  Uncle  Nisse  added  some  more  strokes, 
and  it  was  a  portrait  of  one  of  the  aldermen.  The 
old  man  amused  himself  with  the  drawing  for  a 
long  time,  and  soon  it  was  like  at  least  half  a  score 
of  people  in  the  city. 

Uncle  Nisse  laughed  like  a  school-boy  over  his 
trick. 

"  Truly,  one  can  see  now  whether  you  are  a 
man  or  a  monkey,"  said  he,  and  laughed  the  more. 
But  all  at  once  he  became  serious.  "  It  is  miser- 
able about  human  beings,  but  rather  to  be  wept  over 
than  laughed  at,"  he  then  exclaimed,  and  two  big 
tears  ran  down  his  cheeks  and  fell  on  the  picture. 
He  threw  it  from  him,  and  it  fell  down  back  of  the 
bureau  against  the  wall,  and  there  it  was  allowed 
to  stay. 

But  when  autumn  drew  near  and  the  swallows 
flew  away,  Uncle  Nisse  did  not  go  out  any  more  ; 
he  lay  sick. 

"  Open  the  window,"  said  he,  "  so  that  the  sun 
may  shine  on  me,  and  the  wind  once  more  whisper 
its  old  tales  in  my  ears." 

"  How  light,  oh  !  how  light,"  said  Uncle 
Nisse,  looking  up  to  the  heavens ;  "  yes,  I  am 
coming." 

"  Brother  looks  very  happy,  very  happy,  thank 


THE   STORY  OF   UNCLE   NISSE.  89 

God  ! "  said  the  aged  pastor,  who  was  sitting  with 
Uncle  Nisse. 

The  latter  made  no  reply ;  he  continued  to  look 
through  the  window  towards  the  blue  heavens  to 
which  his  spirit  had  flown ;  on  his  lips  a  smile  still 
lingered. 

"  Blessed  are  they  who  fall  asleep  so,"  said  the 
old  pastor. 

And  Uncle  Nisse  was  buried.  The  little  he  had 
was  sold,  and  it  just  covered  the  burial  expenses, 
but  that  did  not  cost  many  dollars. 

But  the  papers  on  which  he  had  written  so  many 
hours  were  bought  by  a  merchant  to  wrap  around 
butter  and  cheese.  They  had  a  richer  time  than 
ever  Uncle  Nisse  had. 

We  had  called  the  old  man  uncle  because  many 
in  the  city  called  him  so,  and  he  really  was  an  uncle, 
too.  He  had  one  brother,  who  lived  in  a  large  city, 
and  had  a  son  and  daughter.  The  brother  was  a 
rich  man  ;  he  had  plenty  of  money,  but  a  great  lack 
of  memory,  for  he  scarcely  remembered  that  Nisse 
existed.  When  the  latter  was  dead,  and  a  letter 
came  about  it,  the  brother  said  to  his  wife : 

"  Just  think  !  Nisse  did  not  owe  any  one  a  penny 
when  he  died." 

"  Is  he  dead  ?  " 

"  Yes."     And  then  he  was  forgotten. 

Awhile  after  —  it  was  a  couple  of  years,  or  near 
that — something  wonderful  appeared  in  the  papers. 


90  THE  STOKY  OF  UNCLE  NISSE. 

A  traveler  had  come  to  the  city  where  Uncle 
Nisse  had  lived.  The  man  was  so  deeply  learned 
that  the  king  himself  often  asked  his  advice. 

When  he  came  to  the  city,  he  sent  to  a  store  for 
paper,  and  as  a  wrapper  around  it,  he  got  one  of 
the  sheets  on  which  Uncle  Nisse  had  written. 

He  read  it  and  sent  quickly  to  the  store  again, 
and  bought  all  there  was  left  of  what  Uncle  Nisse 
had  written. 

"  Nothing  like  this  is  written  once  in  a  hundred 
years,  hardly,"  the  learned  man  said.  Yes,  that 
was  something  extraordinary. 

Everybody  talked  about  it ;  not  only  those  who 
lived  in  the  little  city,  but  in  the  whole  land. 

"  Oh  !  what  genius,"  they  said. 

And  the  burgomaster  of  the  city  where  uncle 
lived,  remembered  him  so  well  now. 

"  That  was  an  uncommon  man,  that  I  always 
maintained,"  he  said.  "  He  was  an  honor  to  our 
city  !  "  Yes,  the  whole  city  now  remembered  him 
with  pride ! 

And  lame  Truls  showed  strangers  the  way  to 
the  cottage  where  Uncle  Nisse  lived,  and  had  so 
many  wonderful  stories  to  tell  about  the  dead  man, 
for  now  they  were  well  treasured. 

And  then  it  was  decided  that  a  monument 
should  be  raised  to  the  "  great  man,"  and  money 
was  collected. 

When  the  ceremony  of  raising  took  place,  Uncle 


THE   STORY  OF   UNCLE  NISSE.        .          91 

Nisse's  brother  came  to  the  little  city  ;  he  thought 
because  he  was  the  nearest  relation  to  the  departed, 
he  would  be  first  on  this  great  occasion. 

The  monument  stood  high  on  a  mound  beside 
the  church,  because  it  could  not  be  placed  on  the 
grave,  as  no  one  knew  exactly  where  it  was  that 
Uncle  Nisse  had  been  buried  before  he  became  a 
great  man !  But  they  did  not  allow  this  to  be 
known,  and  now  to-day,  everybody  believes  that 
the  dead  man  lies  where  the  shaft  was  raised. 

When  the  rich  brother  went  into  poor  uncle's 
room,  he  searched  for  something  to  take  away  with 
him  as  a  memento,  for  he  would  have  been  very 
glad  to  have  such  a  thing,  but  there  was  nothing 
to  take,  because  everything  was  so  old  and  dilapi- 
dated. Then  he  happened  to  look  behind  the  bureau, 
and  there  lay  the  picture  still,  that  Uncle  Nisse 
had  drawn. 

"  Oh,  here  is  my  brother's  portrait !  "  said  he, 
because  he  was  not  well  informed  on  such  things  ; 
and  so  he  saved  the  picture  and  took  it  home  with 
him. 

Here  he  had  a  frame  of  real  gold  made,  and  put 
the  picture  in  it,  and  a  fine  glass  over  it. 

"  That  is  my  brother's  portrait,"  said  the  rich  man 
to  the  guests  he  invited  to  his  reception. 

"  Oh !  ah  !  indeed  !  is  it  so  ?  "  was  heard  on  all 
sides. 

"  I  think  it  looks  like  a  monkey,"  said  a  little 


92  THE   STORY  OF  UNCLE  NISSE. 

girl,  who  was  with  her  mother  at  the  reception. 
She  said  just  what  she  thought,  because  she  did 
not  understand  any  better ;  but  the  remark  caused 
perfect  silence. 

"  Hush,  Hedvig,"  cried  the  mother. 

"  It  is  strange  that  the  same  expression  can  be 
recognized  in  every  one  of  our  family ! "  said 
the  rich  man,  who  had  not  heard  the  child's 
remark. 

The  guests  .had  heard  it,  however,  and  so  looked 
at  each  other  smilingly,  while  they  placed  them- 
selves at  the  table. 

When  they  had  all  turned  their  backs,  the 
picture  laughed,  so  that  every  line  jumped,  but 
where  Uncle  Nisse's  tears  had  fallen,  it  glistened, 
like  great,  clear  drops,  and  so  it  does  to  this  day. 


THE     KING,     THE     MILLER,    AND     THE 
MILLER'S   PALLE.* 

THERE  was  once  a  miller  who  was  so  immensely 
rich  that  no  miller  before  or  since  has  had  so  much 
money.  But  it  happened  to  him  as  to  many 
another,  he  became  stiff  and  haughty,  so  that  no 
more  disagreeable  person  was  to  be  found  for  a 
hundred  miles  around,  and  that  is  not  stretching 
the  matter  a  bit,  either. 

Now  he  wished  everybody  to  know  what  sort  of 
a  man  he  chanced  to  be  ;  so  he  put  out  a  great 
sign  on  the  wall,  and  on  the  sign  was  written : 

"  Bengt  the  miller  am  I, 

And  live  without  care  till  I  die." 

One  day,  when  the  king  drove  through  that  part 
of  the  country,  he  rode  past  the  mill  and  saw  the 
sign. 

"  That  man  I  must  see,"  thought  the  king,  and 
so  called  out : 

"  Bengt,  the  miller,  come  out ! " 

*  Pronounced  Poal-ler. 

93 


94  THE  KING  AND   THE   MILLER. 

But  the  miller  was  just  taking  a  nap,  and  at  that 
time  of  day  he  was,  like  many  other  great  men, 
not  very  good-tempered  if  disturbed.  He  thought 
it  was  a  peasant  who  wanted  to  grind  corn,  so  he 
did  not  get  up,  but  turned  over  so  the  sofa  creaked, 
and  screamed : 

"  Set  your  bag  in  the  mill  and  then  keep  quiet, 
for  I  am  going  to  sleep  !  " 

You  can  easily  believe  that  the  king  was  not 
very  well  satisfied  with  this  answer. 

"  You  shall  not  live  any  longer  without  care,  you 
have  my  kingly  word  for  that,"  answered  the  king, 
and  then  drove  away  so  fast  that  the  dust  rolled 
around  the  wheels  in  clouds. 

Now  when  the  miller  heard  that,  he  peeped  out ; 
when  he  saw  that  a  gold  crown  sat  on  the  wagon 
roof,  and  kingly  servants  stood  behind,  he  got 
pretty  thoroughly  waked  up. 

"  Pity  me,  miserable  creature,  for  behaving  so  !  " 
cried  he,  and  began  to  spring  backwards  and  for- 
wards on  the  floor,  and  tear  his  hair. 

"  I  am  dreadfully  afraid  of  the  king !  " 

Just  as  he  was  jumping  about,  the  sheriff  carne 
in,  for  he  had  been  sent  by  the  king  himself.  The 
king  had  sent  a  message  by  him,  that  if  the  miller 
had  no  trouble,  he  should  come  up  to  the  castle  on 
a  certain  day,  and  that  was  only  three  days  distant. 
At  the  court  the  king  should  put  three  questions 
to  the  miller,  which  the  latter  must  answer,  but  if 


THE  KING   AND  THE  MILLER.  95 

he  did  not  answer  correctly  it  would  go  very  hard 
with  him. 

Now  Bengt  was  much  alarmed,  because  he  was 
not  quick-witted,  and  had  a  hard  time  when  he 
tried  to  think.  He  went  around  sighing  day  and 
night  in  great  anguish,  and  would  have  cast  himself 
into  the  mill  pond  if  the  water  had  not  been  so 
cold.  When  two  days  had  passed  in  this  way,  he 
was  four  and  a  half  inches  smaller  round,  because 
he  lived  without  care  no  longer. 

Bengt  had  several  servants  in  the  mill,  and  one 
of  them  was  named  Palle.  Palle  was  thought  to 
be  a  nobody,  because  he  was  small  in  stature  and  of 
few  words.  So  he  was  not  allowed  to  go  into  the 
mill  chamber  when  the  rest  of  the  servants  were 
there  enjoying  themselves,  but  he  sat,  when  he  was 
not  at  work,  under  the  great  mill-wheel.  In  this 
way  he  had  grown  to  think  for  himself  —  because 
he  had  no  one  to  talk  with  —  and  that  is  not  so  bad 
a  thing  to  be  able  to  do  sometimes. 

When  the  miller  now  came  down  into  the  mill, 
groaning  and  sighing,  Palle  asked  what  the  matter 
was. 

"  Oh !  poor  me,  poor  me,  I  am  so  afraid,  so 
afraid  !  "  said  Bengt,  and  he  told  the  whole  story 
about  the  king,  and  what  he  had  commanded. 

"  Was  that  all  ?  "  asked  Palle.  "  I  will  go  to  the 
king,  if  you  are  willing,  and  as  he  never  saw  you, 
he  will  think  it  is  you  coming." 


96  THE  KING  AND   THE  MILLEE. 

It  was  as  if  a  whole  meal  sack  had  been  lifted 
from  Bengt's  bosom,  and  he  took  Palle  in  his  arms, 
although  he  got  meal  on  his  best  coat.  And  gold 
and  whole  forests  he  promised  to  Palle,  if  he  did 
the  errand  to  the  castle  well. 

As  the  next  morning  drew  near,  Palle  set  out, 
because  it  was  not  on  the  next  farm  the  king 
lived.  But  Palle  had  on  his  every  day  clothes, 
because  he  had  no  others  ;  and  that  was  good,  for 
now  one  could  see  that  he  was  a  miller. 

Palle  walked  into  the  king's  room  perfectly  un- 
abashed, and  there  sat  the  king  on  his  throne, 
reigning  with  all  his  might.  But  when  he  saw 
Palle,  he  believed  at  once  that  it  was  Bengt,  the 
miller,  who  was  coming,  so  he  called  him  before 
the  throne,  and  put  on  the  manner  which  he  used 
in  battle,  because  he  wished  to  frighten  the  obstinate 
miller. 

First  the  king  pointed  with  his  scepter  to  the 
most  learned  man  in  his  court,  and  this  man  strode 
forward  and  held  a  conversation  with  Palle  in  mock 
Latin  only. 

The  king  had  talked  beforehand  with  the  learned 
man  about  it,  and  it  had  been  decided  that  the 
miller  should  be  confused.  So  the  conversation 
was  full  of  words  that  were  both  long  and  crooked, 
and  much  learning  was  contained  in  it,  also. 

Palle  could  not  understand  a  single  word,  of 
course,  but  he  thought,  "a  man's  a  man,  for  a' 


THE  KING  AND  THE  illLLEB.  97 

that,"  so  when  the  learned  man  had  finished,  Palle 
stepped  forward,  braced  himself  well  on  his  feet, 
looked  the  learned  man  right  in  the  eyes,  and 
threw  out  his  arms,  so  that  the  meal  dust  flew  high 
in  the  air,  and  began : 

"  Millum  mealum  stonerum  grindura  millerum 
quarnum  mjolum  stenelarum  malum  gubbeluruni," 
and  rattled  off  a  long  string  of  words  and  looked 
very  serious.  When  he  had  finished,  he  bowed 
before  the  king,  the  king's  wife,  all  the  princes 
and  princesses,  precisely  as  the  learned  one  had 
done  before  him. 

"  Now  you  shall  answer  three  questions,"  said 
the  king,  "  but  think  well  beforehand,  because  if  you 
do  not  answer  right,  it  will  go  worse  with  you  than 
it  ever  has  yet  with  a  miller  in  this  world.  Tell 
me  first,  how  many  grains  of  sand  are  there  at  the 
bottom  of  the  ocean  ?  " 

That  was  not  an  easy  question,  certainly ;  but 
Palle  stuck  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  took  out  a 
piece  of  chalk  and  got  down  on  the  floor  on  all- 
fours.  Then  he  began  to  write  columns  of  figures 
and  queer  characters,  precisely  as  if  he  were 
reckoning  up  something  about  the  meal  bags  in 
the  mill. 

In  a  few  minutes  he  rose  up  and  said  : 

"Seven  thousand  million  million,  five  hundred 
and  thirty-seven." 

"  Is  that  correct  ?  "  asked  the  king. 


98  THE  KING  AND   THE  MILLER. 

"  Yes,"  answered  Palle,  "  and  if  the  company 
will  not  believe  me,  then  the  gentleman  there,  who 
talked  so  incomprehensibly  beautiful,  can  reckon 
up  and  find  out  if  I  am  right." 

"  That  was  surely  not  so  badly  solved,"  said  the 
king,  but  did  not  let  any  one  hear  it.  "  Now  tell 
me  how  far  is  it  between  heaven  and  earth  ?  " 

"  Well,"  answered  Palle,  "  it  is  only  a  knee's 
length." 

"  How  do  you  make  that  ?  "  inquired  the  king. 

"  Well,  God  created  heaven  as  his  throne,  and 
earth  as  his  foot-stool,"  answered  Palle. 

Now  both  the  king  and  queen  smiled,  because 
they  thought  that  the  miller  was  very  quick- 
witted ;  but  the  king  would  not  let  him  off  so 
easily,  so  he  said  : 

"  Now  you  must  answer  the  last  question,  and 
that  is  the  hardest  of  all.  If  you  do  not  answer 
right  this  time,  it  will  go  badly  for  you,  any  way. 
Take  care  and  answer  immediately  and  say,  What 
am  I  thinking  now  ?  " 

And  at  the  same  time  the  king  drew  out  his 
great  sword. 

"  Well,  you  think  that  I  am  Bengt,  the  miller, 
but  I  am  only  his  servant  Palle,  I  am." 

Then  the  king  was  so  pleased  at  Palle's  clever- 
ness, that  he  and  the  whole  court  laughed  to  their 
heart's  content,  and  then  the  king  spoke  : 

"  Now  you  have  entertained  us  all,  you  shall  be 


THE    KING  AND  THE  MILLER.  99 

allowed  to  wish  what  you  like,  and  it  shall  be 
granted,  if  it  is  in  my  power  to  do  so." 

Then  Palle  said,  "  If  that  is  so,  then  I  beg  that 
my  master  may  stay  at  home  and  not  have  to  come 
here,  for  he  has  no  court  learning." 

And  the  king  liked  the  request  so  much,  that 
Palle  got  a  whole  ton  of  money  when  he  left,  and 
so  he  became  well  off  and  married  the  miller's 
only  daughter,  and  inherited  the  mill. 

And  if  you  have  some  corn  to  grind,  you  can  go 
there  with  it,  and  he  will  tell  you  all  about  this 
tale  himself ! 


THE  STORY  OF   THE   SEED-DOWN. 

HIGH  above  the  earth,  over  land  and  sea,  floated 
the  seed-down,  borne  on  the  autumn  wind's  strong 
arms. 

"  Here  shall  you  lie,  little  seed-down,"  said  he  at 
last,  and  put  it  down  on  the  ground,  and  laid  a 
fallen  leaf  over  it.  Then  he  flew  away  immediately, 
because  he  had  much  to  look  after. 

That  was  in  the  dark  evening,  and  the  seed 
could  not  see  where  it  was  placed,  and  besides  the 
leaf  covered  it. 

Something  heavy  came  now  and  pressed  so  hard 
that  the  seed  came  near  being  destroyed ;  but  the 
leaf,  weak  though  it  was,  protected  it.  It  was  a 
human  foot  which  walked  along  over  the  ground 
and  pressed  the  downy  seed  into  the  earth.  When 
the  foot  was  withdrawn,  the  earth  fell  and  filled 
the  little  pit  it  had  made. 

The  cold  came  and  the  snow  fell  several  feet 
deep  ;  but  the  seed  lay  quietly  down  there,  waiting 
for  warmth  and  light.  When  the  spring  came, 
and  the  snow  melted  away,  the  plant  shot  up  out 
of  the  earth. 

100 


THE   STORY   OF   THE   SEED-DOWN.  101 

There  was  a  little  gray  cottage  beside  which  it 
grew  up.  The  tiny  plant  could  not  see  very  far 
around,  because  rubbish  and  brush  heaps  lay  near 
it,  and  the  little  window  was  so  gray  and  dusty, 
that  she  could  not  peep  into  the  cottage  either. 

"  Who  lives  here  ?  "  asked  the  little  thing. 

"  Don't  you  know  that  ? "  asked  the  ragged 
shoe,  which  lay  near.  "  Why,  the  smith  who 
drinks  so  much  lives  here,  and  his  wife  who  wore 
me  out." 

And  then  she  told  how  it  looked  inside,  how  life 
went  on  there,  and  it  was  not  cheering ;  no,  but 
fearfully  sad.  The  shoe  knew  it  all  well,  and 
told  a  whole  lot  in  a  few  minutes,  because  she  had 
such  a  well-hung  tongue. 

Now  there  came  a  pair  of  ragged  children,  run- 
ning, the  smith's  boy  and  girl ;  he  was  six  years  old 
and  the  girl  eight,  so  the  shoe  said  after  they 
were  gone. 

"  Oh !  see,  what  a  pretty  little  plant,"  said  the  girl. 

"  So  now,  I  shall  pull  it  up,"  said  the  boy,  and 
the  plant  trembled  to  the  root's  heart. 

"  No,  do  not  do  it,"  said  the  girl.  "  We  must 
let  it  grow.  Do  you  not  see  what  pretty,  crinkly 
leaves  it  has  ?  It  will  have  lovely  flowers,  I  know, 
when  it  grows  bigger." 

And  it  was  allowed  to  stay  there.  The  children 
took  a  stick  and  dug  up  the  earth  round  about,  so 
it  looked  like  a  ploughed  field.  Then  they  threw 


102  THE    STORY   OF   THE    SEED-DOWN. 

the  shoe  and  the  sweepings  a  little  way  off,  because 
they  thought  to  make  the  place  look  better. 

"  You  cannot  think,"  said  the  shoe  after  the 
children  had  gone,  "  you  cannot  think  how  in  the 
way  folks  are  !  " 

"  The  children  have  to  give  themselves  airs  and 
pretend  to  be  very  orderly,"  said  the  half  of  a 
coffee  cup,  and  she  broke  in  another  place,  she  was 
so  disturbed. 

But  the  sun  shone  warmly  and  the  rain  filtered 
down  in  the  upturned  earth.  Then  leaf  after  leaf 
unfolded  and  in  a  few  days  the  plant  was  several 
inches  high. 

"  Oh  !  see,"  said  the  children,  who  came  again  ; 
"  see  how  beautiful  it  is  getting  !  " 

"  Come,  father,  come  !  brother  and  I  have  dis- 
covered such  a  pretty  plant !  Come  and  see  it !  " 
begged  the  girl. 

The  father  glanced  at  it.  The  plant  looked  so 
lovely  on  the  little  rough  bit  of  soil  which  lay 
between  the  piles  of  sweepings. 

The  smith  nodded  to  the  children. 

"  It  looks  very  disorderly  here,"  he  said  to  him- 
self, and  stopped  an  instant.  "  Yes,  indeed,  it 
does  !  "  He  went  along,  but  thought  of  the  little 
green  spot,  with  the  lovely  plant  in  the  midst  of  it. 

The  children  ran  into  the  house. 

"  Mother,"  said  they,  "  there  is  such  a  rare  plant 
growing  right  by  the  window !  " 


THE   STORY*  OF  THE   SEED-DOWN.  103 

The  mother  wished  to  glance  out,  but  the  window 
was  so  thick  with  dust  that  she  could  not  do  so. 
She  wiped  off  a  little  spot. 

"  Ousch  !  "  said  she  when  she  noticed  how  badly 
the  window  looked  beside  the  cleaned  spot ;  so  she 
wiped  the  whole  window. 

"  That  is  an  odd  plant,"  said  she,  looking  at  it. 
"  But  how  dreadfully  dirty  it  is  out  in  the  yard  ! " 

Now  that  the  sun  shone  in  through  the  window 
it  became  very  light  in  the  cottage.  The  mother 
looked  at  the  ragged  children  that  stood  by  the 
window,  at  the  floor,  and  at  the  rubbish  in  the 
room,  and  the  blood  rushed  over  her  pale  cheeks. 

"  It  is  a  perfect  shame,"  she  murmured.  "  I 
have  never  noticed  that  it  was  so  untidy  here." 

She  hurried  around  and  set  the  room  to  rights, 
and  when  that  was  done,  she  washed  the  dirty 
floor.  She  scrubbed  it  so  hard  that  her  hands 
smarted  as  if  she  had  burned  them  in  the  fire  ;  she 
did  not  stop  until  every  spot  was  white. 

It  was  evening ;  the  husband  came  home  from 
work.  The  wife  sat  mending  the  girl's  ragged 
dress.  The  man  stopped  in  the  door.  It  looked 
so  strange  to  him  within,  and  the  look  his  wife 
gave  him  was  brighter  than  ever  before,  he  thought. 

"  Go  —  God's  peace  ! "  he  stammered.  It  was 
a  long  time  since  such  a  greeting  had  been  heard 
in  here. 

"  God's   peace  !  "   answered  she  ;    "  wel  —  wel- 


104  THE   STORY   OF  THE   SEED-DOWN. 

come  home  !  "  She  had  not  said  this  for  many 
years. 

The  smith  stepped  forward  to  the  window ;  on 
the  bed  beside  it  the  two  children  lay  sleeping. 
He  looked  at  them,  then  he  looked  out  on  the  mound 
where  the  little  plant  stood.  After  a  few  minutes 
he  went  out. 

A  deep  sigh  rose  from  the  woman's  breast.  She 
had  hoped  that  he  would  stay  at  home  that  evening. 
Two  great  tears  fell  on  the  little  dress. 

In  a  few  minutes  she  heard  a  noise  outside. 
She  went  to  the  window  to  see  what  it  could  be. 
Her  husband  had  not  gone  away  !  He  was  out  in 
the  yard,  clearing  up  the  brush  heaps  and  rubbish. 

She  became  more  happy  than  she  had  been  for 
a  long  time.  He  glanced  in  through  the  window 
and  saw  her.  Then  she  nodded  ;  he  nodded  back, 
and  then  they  both  smiled. 

"  Be  careful,  above  all,  of  the  little  plant !  "  said 
she. 

Warm  and  sunny  days  came.  The  smith  stayed 
at  home  now  every  evening.  It  was  green  and 
lovely  round  the  little  cottage,  and  outside  the 
window  there  was  a  whole  flower  bed,  with  many 
blossoms  ;  but  in  the  midst  stood  the  little  plant 
the  autumn  wind  had  brought  thither. 

The  smith's  family  stood  around  the  flower  beds 
and  talked  about  the  flowers. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  SEED-DOWN.  105 

"  But  the  plant  brother  and  I  found  is  the  most 
beautiful  of  them  ail,"  said  the  little  girl. 

"  Yes,  indeed,  it  is,"  said  the  parents. 

The  smith  bent  down  and  took  one  of  the  leaves 
in  his  hand,  but  very  carefully,  because  he  was 
afraid  he  might  hurt  it  with  his  thick,  coarse 
fingers. 

Then  a  bell  was  heard  ringing  in  the  distance. 
The  sound  floated  out  over  field  and  lake  and 
rang  so  peacefully  in  the  eventide,  just  as  the  sun 
sank  behind  the  tree-tops  in  the  forest.  And 
every  one  bowed  the  head,  because  it  was  Saturday 
evening,  and  it  was  a  sacred  voice  that  sounded. 

In  a  little  while  all  was  silent  in  the  cottage ; 
the  inmates  slumbered,  more  tired,  perhaps,  than 
before,  after  the  week's  toils,  but  also  much,  much 
happier.  And  round  about  all  was  calm  and 
peaceful.  The  wind  was  sleeping  in  the  tree  tops, 
the  waves  had  gone  to  sleep  among  the  rocks  on 
the  beach  —  all  nature  reposed ;  only  the  cradle  song 
of  the  corn-crake  and  cricket  was  still  heard. 

But  when  Sunday's  sun  came  up,  the  plant 
opened  its  bud,  and  it  bore  but  a  single  one.  When 
the  cottage  folks  passed  the  little  flower  garden, 
they  all  stopped  and  looked  at  the  beautiful, 
fragrant  blossom. 

"  It  shall  go  with  us  to  the  house  of  God,"  said 
the  wife,  turning  to  her  husband.  He  nodded,  and 
then  she  broke  off  the  flower.  The  wife  looked  at 


106  THE   STOKY  OF  THE   SEED-DOWN. 

the  husband,  and  he  looked  at  her,  and  then  their 
eyes  rested  on  both  children ;  then  their  eyes  grew 
dim,  but  became  immediately  bright  again,  for  the 
tears  were  not  of  sorrow,  but  of  happiness. 

When  the  organ's  tones  swelled  and  the  people 
sang  in  the  temple,  the  flower  folded  its  petals,  for 
it  had  fulfilled  its  mission,  but  on  the  waves  of 
song  its  perfume  floated  upwards.  And  in  the 
sweet  fragrance  lay  a  warm  thanksgiving  from 
the  little  seed-down. 


THE  LITTLE   BIRCH-TREE. 

WAY  out  by  the  sea,  on  a  rocky  cliff,  where  the 
wind  swept  away  the  earth  and  moss  from  the 
rifts  and  chasms,  and  the  salt  water  was  dashed 
foaming  against  the  sky,  there  stood  a  cold,  bare 
rock.  Rough  and  uneven,  without  a  blade  of  green 
grass  on  it,  stood  the  bare,  inhospitable  cliff,  a  pic- 
ture of  that  hopeless  poverty,  which  having  nothing 
and  hoping  nothing,  becomes  as  hard  as  flint. 

But,  however  it  happened,  a  birch  seed  came 
and  rested  in  one  of  the  rifts  of  the  rock.  It  was 
of  the  right  sort,  because  it  struck  root  and  grew, 
although  it  had  nothing  but  the  salt  spray  to  live  on. 

"  I  shall  try  to  clothe  the  cliff  in  green,"  thought 
the  plant,  and  stretched  two  small,  thin  leaves  up 
towards  the  sky.  But  then  came  the  storm  and 
cold,  and  the  two  leaves  fell  off  and  sank  in  the 
cleft  close  by.  The  following  year  two  new  leaves 
were  sent  out,  but  those  met  with  the  same  fate. 

"  What  good  does   it   do   to  send  out  leaves  ? 
You  cannot  grow  on  the  rocks  there,"  said  a  sea 
gull,  who  was  sailing  about  among  the  clouds  and 
saw  everything  from  his  lofty  position. 
107 


108  THE  LITTLE  BIRCH-TKEE. 

But  the  birch  did  not  listen.  Every  spring  it 
strove  upwards  with  its  little  shrunken  stem 
towards  heaven,  full  of  newly-awakened  hope ; 
but  as  soon  as  a  few  months  had  passed  by,  the 
small  pale  green  leaves  fell  and  sank  down  in  the 
cleft,  because  the  cliff  afforded  such  scanty  nourish- 
ment. So  it  went  on,  year  in  and  year  out,  till  the 
birch's  days  were  over.  The  sap  in  the  little  stem 
dried  up,  the  tender  buds  fell  off,  and  the  spirit  pre- 
pared to  fly  towards  the  heavens,  on  which  it  had 
always  gazed. 

Then  the  sound  of  a  bird's  song  was  heard  close 
by,  bees  hummed  and  the  fragrance  of  leaves  and 
flowers  was  on  the  air.  In  the  little  cleft  stood  a 
fresh,  strong  twig,  bearing  leaves  full  of  sap,  and 
round  about  grew  flowers  and  grass,  and  soft  turf 
was  spreading  over  the  hard,  stony  cliff. 

"  Whence  cometh  all  this  ? "  asked  the  little 
birch,  its  weak  voice  trembling  with  joy. 

"It  is  the  small  leaves  thou  hast  given,  which  have 
prepared  the  way  for  greenness  and  life,"  replied 
a  little  white  dove.  "  Come  now  with  me  ! "  And 
borne  upon  her  wings,  the  spirit  of  the  little  birch 
soared  upward  until  it  reached  the  clear  heavens. 

But  the  rocky  cliff  became  a  beautiful  island, 
clothed  with  soft  grass,  fragrant  flowers  and  leafy 
trees. 

But  yet  the  little  birch  had  only  a  pair  of  small 
leaves  to  give ! 


MOTHER  MAJA-STINA'S   JACKET. 

THEEE  was  not  a  better  person  to  be  found  in 
the  whole  township  than  Mother  Maja-Stiua. 
She  never  talked  badly  about  people,  like  some 
who  waste  their  time  over  such  gossip,  and  she 
never  grumbled  or  quarreled  with  her  neighbors, 
either.  When  she  had  nothing  else  to  do,  she  took 
up  her  knitting  work  and  knit  so  fast,  it  was 
pleasant  to  watch  her. 

Because  she  was  so  good  she  was  always  welcome 
in  every  cottage,  and  the  coffee  pot  bubbled  in  its 
most  lively  manner  when  it  boiled  for  Mother 
Maja-Stina ;  for  you  must  know  that  such  a  pot 
is  not  so  stupid  as  some  may  think. 

It  knows  when  it  is  put  on  the  fire,  whether  the 
coffee  is  to  be  drunk  with  sugar  and  dipped  only, 
or  if  people's  .  good  name  and  reputation  shall 
accompany  the  dipping;  the  coffee  pot  does  not 
like  scandal,  at  least  not  before  it  has  lived  a  long 
time  in  bad  company. 

Mother  Maja-Stina  lived  in  a  cottage  of  her  own, 
for  indeed  the  old  woman  was  not  without  some 
means,  I  must  let  you  know.  She  had  everything 

109 


110         MOTHEK  MAJA-STINA'S  JACKET. 

so  nice  and  neat  here,  of  course,  with  lace  curtains 
and  geraniums  in  the  windows,  and  spruce  boughs 
in  front  of  the  steps,  so  that  people  should  wipe 
their  feet  before  they  came  in. 

And  she  always  dressed  neatly  and  well,  and 
when  she  went  to  church  on  Sundays  she  was  quite 
fine  because  she  could  afford  it,  as  she  made  her 
own  clothes. 

Now  she  had  had  her  jacket,  I  mean  her  holiday 
jacket,  for  many  years,  so  it  began  to  look  worn 
and  shiny  in  the  seams.  So  she  thought  the  holi- 
day jacket  was  only  fit  for  everyday  wear,  and 
that  she  ought  to  have  a  brand  fire  new  one  for 
Sundays.  The  juryman's  wife  thought  the  same 
and  the  wife  of  the  bell-ringer,  too,  and  they  were 
the  first  in  the  parish  to  be  consulted  when  it  was 
necessary  to  have  shrewd  advice  as  to  what  to  do. 
And  now  when  Mother  Maja-Stina  talked  it  over 
with  them  and  several  others,  it  was  decided  that 
she  should  have  a  new  jacket,  and  it  is  with  that 
very  jacket  that  this  story  deals,  although  it  has 
not  appeared  till  now,  but  you  shall  hear  about  it 
at  once. 

Sewing  Mari,  as  she  was  called,  because  she  went 
around  to  the  farmhouses  sewing,  undertook  to 
fit  Mother  Maja-Stiua,  cut  straight  and  crossways 
into  the  piece  of  cloth,  and  pinned  and  sewed,  so 
it  was  pleasant  to  watch  her,  because  she  was  deft 
with  her  fingers,  and  spry  about  her  work.  Still 


MOTHER  MAJA-STINA'S   JACKET.  Ill 

it  was  very  provoking  that  Sewing  Mari  sometimes 
took  the  measures  a  little  too  much  so  and  so,  and 
as  a  result,  her  masterpieces  did  not  always  fit  so 
well  as  they  might ;  but  as  they  were  usually  too 
large,  folks  did  not  say  very  much,  because  the 
people  in  that  locality  were  not  greatly  given  to 
vanities  and  such  like. 

It  went  with  Mother  Maja-Stina's  jacket  as  with 
scores  of  other  jackets  before,  which  had  been  exe- 
cuted by  Sewing  Mail's  artistic  fingers  ;  it  was  too 
long  in  the  skirt,  too  large  around  the  waist,  and 
the  sleeves  came  a  little  below  the  fingers.  It 
would  have  been  better,  of  course,  if  it  had  fitted, 
but  that  could  not  be  helped  now,  and  Mother 
Maja-Stina  would  not  contradict  Sewing  Mari,  who 
thought  everything  she  did  fitted  finely,  Avhich  is 
apt  to  be  the  way  with  those  who  sew  or  do  any 
sort  of  handwork. 

So  Sewing  Mari  received  her  proper  pay  and 
Mother  Maja-Stina  had  a  new  holiday  jacket,  and 
for  those  who  wish  to  have  exact  information,  I 
will  add,  it  was  finished  on  Monday  evening. 

Mother  Maja-Stina  now  went  to  the  neighbors 
and  told  how  the  matter  stood ;  that  the  jacket  was 
a  little  too  large,  "  but  otherwise  it  fitted  so  very 
well,"  said  Mother  Maja-Stina,  because  she  would 
not  put  Sewing  Mari  to  shame,  do  not  think  for  a 
minute. 

But  the  juryman's  wife  thought  it  was  a  shame 


112         MOTHEK  MAJA-STINA'S  JACKET. 

for  Mother  Maja-Stina's  jacket  to  fit  so  badly,  so 
she  told  her  eldest  daughter  that  she  must  go  to 
Mother  Maja-Stina's  cottage,  sometime  when  the 
old  woman  did  not  know  it,  and  cut  off  the  sleeves, 
take  in  the  waist  and  cut  off  the  skirt,  so  it  would 
be  right  and  proper.  And  the  daughter  did  this, 
and  as  she  was  quick  at  altering  things,  she  had 
changed  the  jacket  long  before  Mother  Maja-Stina 
came  home  in  the  evening. 

But  the  good  woman  did  not  put  on  her  new 
jacket  every  day,  because  she  was  not  at  all  vain,  so 
she  did  not  notice  that  the  garment  had  been 
changed. 

The  next  day  Mother  Maja-Stina  went  to  the 
bell-ringer's,  and  they  came  to  speak  about  the  new 
jacket,  of  course  ;  the  woman  told  them  how  it 
fitted,  and  it  was  so  like  Sewing  Mari's  usual  work 
that  no  one  doubted  it.  And  so  the  bell-ringer's 
wife  told  her  eldest  daughter  that  she  must  go 
secretly  to  Mother  Maja-Stina's  cottage  and  make 
the  sleeves  shorter,  the  waist  tighter  and  the 
skirt  smaller. 

Yes,  the  daughter  knew  how  to  do  it,  and  she 
sewed  and  snipped  so  rapidly  that  the  whole  thing 
was  finished  long  before  evening,  and  Mother 
Maja-Stina  knew  nothing  about  it,  of  course. 

And  when  night  was  past  Mother  Maja-Stina 
went  to  another  place  and  the  same  story  was  told 
there.  Everybody  thought  so  much  of  the  old 


MOTHER  MAJA-STINA'S  JACKET.         113 

woman  that  all  were  eager  to  do  something  kind 
for  her,  so  this  mother  sent  her  only  daughter  to 
make  the  jacket  over,  and  so  it  went  through  the 
week  ;  each  day  some  kind-hearted  woman  took  in 
Mother  Maja-Stina's  jacket,  so  that  hy  Sunday  it 
had  been  fixed  up  five  times,  as  you  can  reckon  up 
even  if  you  are  not  an  expert  at  figuring. 

Now  when  Sunday  came,  Mother  Maja-Stina  was 
preparing  to  go  to  church ;  she  took  down  the 
jacket  to  put  it  on,  but  she  could  not  imagine  what 
was  the  matter,  for  now  the  sleeves  only  reached 
to  the  elbows  ;  furthermore,  it  lacked  three  inches 
of  coming  together  in  front,  and  the  bottom  hein 
rested  right  across  her  shoulder  blades. 

At  first  Mother  Maja-Stina  thought  the  cloth  had 
shrunk,  but  instantly  changed  her  mind,  for  she 
was  not  stupid,  and  finally  she  guessed  how  it  had 
happened. 

"  Well,  sometimes  kind  and  helpful  neighbors 
are  worth  having,"  said  Mother  Maja-Stina,  for 
she  was  so  good-natured  and  saw  plainly  that  it 
had  been  done  to  help  her.  So  she  put  the  jacket 
on,  just  as  it  was,  and  went  to  church. 

But  the  juryman  and  his  wife  and  daughter,  who 
walked  behind  her,  thought  she  looked  a  little  singu- 
lar, as  you  can  imagine. 

And  so  this  story  is  no  longer,  and  it  could  not 
well  be  so,  when  the  jacket  was  so  short. 


THE  FORGOTTEN  ONE. 

MANY  hundred  years  have  flown  since  the  things 
happened  about  which  I  am  going  to  tell  you. 
Then  there  were  stately  castles  with  high  walls  and 
towers  in  the  country  round  about,  and  brave  knights 
and  fair  ladies  wandered  with  elegant  ease  and 
courteous  manners  through  the  castle  halls. 

When  a  war  challenge  came,  and  such  often  hap- 
pened, the  knights  clad  themselves  in  armor  of 
shining  steel,  with  sword  by  the  side  and  shield 
on  the  arm,  and  swung  themselves  up  on  the  proud 
war  horse,  which  chafed  at  the  bridle  till  the  foam 
stood  white  on  its  mouth,  aud  pawed  unceasingly 
with  its  well-shod  hoofs. 

Up  flew  the  castle  gates,  the  drawbridge  fell  and 
over  that  old-time  bridge  the  warrior  knights  rode 
out  to  win  fame  and  honor,  while  the  women  and 
maidens  of  the  citadel  waved  a  farewell  to  them 
from  the  windows  in  the  towers. 

In  those  days  there  was  a  noble  knight  who 
rode  far  and  wide  in  Eastern  and  Western  lands, 
and  everywhere  he  was  noted  for  his  courage  and 
his  victories.  For  honor  he  fought ;  she  was  his 

114 


THE   FORGOTTEN   ONE.  115 

guiding  star  and  the  prize  for  which  he  strove. 
Kings  and  princes  sought  his  aid  when  they  were 
at  war  with  each  other,  and  they  showed  their 
gratitude  for  his  assistance  by  gifts  of  gold. 

When  he  had  won  so  much  honor  and  so  much 
gold  that  no  one  round  about  excelled  him,  he 
turned  back  again  to  his  castle. 

But  this  now  looked  so  small  and  humble  to 
him  that  he  caused  it  to  be  torn  down,  and  on  the 
place  where  it  had  stood,  he  built  up  another  castle 
worthy  of  the  knightly  fame  he  had  won  for  himself. 

Soon  its  mighty  towers  rose  high  over  the  tops 
of  the  forest,  and  far  and  near  the  magnificent 
knightly  castle  became  famous. 

When  the  castle  was  ready  to  receive  its  lord,  he 
drew  near  one  morning  on  his  prancing  war  steed. 
Proudly  he  gazed  upon  his  work. 

"  Now,"  said  he  to  his  friends,  "  my  name  shall 
live  forever,  just  as  that  citadel  shall  always  lift 
its  haughty  turrets  toward  heaven  ! " 

"  All  is  vanity,  says  the  wise  king,"  the  knight 
heard  a  voice  close  beside  him  say. 

When  he  looked  to  one  side,  he  saw  an  old 
monk  with  a  little  plant  surrounded  by  moss  in  his 
hands. 

"  But  honor  is  not  vanity,  holy  father,"  replied 
the  knight,  "and  the  name  of  him  who  wields  his 
sword  in  her  service,  shall  descend  to  posterity  with 
imperishable  glory  ! " 


116  THE  FORGOTTEN  ONE. 

"  Name  and  fame  shall  perish  like  grass  in  the 
fields,"  said  the  monk,  and  bent  lower  to  the  ground, 
where  he  set  his  plant  in  a  little  hole  and  covered 
the  roots  with  earth. 

"  Yes,  such  a  work  as  yours  shall  surely  dis- 
appear," said  the  knight,  smiling  scornfully,  and 
looked  compassionately  down  on  the  monk's  plant- 
ing. "  But  honor  resembles  the  lofty  structure  of 
stone,  which  defies  the  change  of  wind,  rain  and 
time." 

The  monk  did  not  answer ;  he  only  shook  his 
head  sorrowfully,  and  clasped  his  hands  prayerfully 
over  the  little  beech  twig,  which  he  had  brought 
with  him  from  a  distant  country  and  planted  oil 
the  great  plain  before  the  castle. 

Not  a  stone  now  indicates  the  place  where  the 
proud  castle  once  raised  its  turrets  toward  heaven. 
No  legend,  no  song  relates  the  haughty  man's 
name,  which  is  as  forgotten  as  that  of  the  poor 
monk.  But  on  the  otherwise  treeless  plain  a  mag- 
nificent beech  forest  lifts  its  crown  against  the 
sky.  When  the  traveler  sees  that  beautiful  park 
from  the  distance,  his  heavy,  tired  steps  become 
lighter ;  with  a  thankful  look  towards  the  green 
roof  he  throws  himself  down  in  the  shadow  of  the 
trees,  beside  the  spring's  bubbling  waters,  and 
listens  to  the  songs  of  innumerable  birds,  till, 
strengthened  in  body  and  soul,  he  wanders  on  till 
he,  too,  becomes  hidden  and  forgotten. 


THE   HEATHER. 

WHEN  God  created  the  world  with  all  its  trees 
and  plants,  he  gave  to  nearly  all,  flowers  to  adorn 
them,  either  small  or  large,  plain  or  showy  —  each 
plant  after  its  kind.  But  among  them  was  one 
that  did  not  receive  this  distinction,  the  little  lowly 
heather  bush. 

This  modest  plant  did  not  grumble,  however, 
but  bowed  itself  meekly  to  the  ground. 

Each  plant  had  the  choice  of  the  place  where  it 
would  grow. 

"  Here  will  I  fasten  my  root,"  said  the  fra- 
grant, snow-white  lily,  and  took  its  place  on  the 
meadow. 

"  Here  on  the  wave  will  I  rock,"  said  the  water 
lily,  and  mirrored  her  shining  petals  in  the  bosoin 
of  the  water. 

"This  place  suits  me,"  said  the  oak,  and  cast 
itself  down  on  the  hill,  like  a  king  on  his  throne, 
and  then  its  mighty  branches  stretched  on  high. 

"  It  is  good  for  me  to  be  here,"  said  the  pine- 
tree,  and  sent  down  its  strong  roots  into  the  sand's 
soft  breast.  The  green  grass  spread  its  soft  carpet 

117 


118  THE   HEATHER. 

over  hill  and  dale,  and  so  each  plant  found  a  place, 
and  the  earth  was  soon  covered.  Only  the  hill  of 
reddish-gray  sand  and  rocks  stood  bare,  because 
no  plant  had  wanted  to  choose  it  for  an  abode. 

"  Ah !  cover  me,  cover  me,"  begged  the  hill ; 
"  the  sun  burns  so  strongly,  and  the  wind  strikes 
me  so  hard  with  its  powerful  wings."  But  none 
of  the  plants  would  listen  to  it,  because  the  stony 
hill  did  not  please  them. 

Then  the  heather  lifted  its  small  branches  and 
replied  :  "  If  you  wish  I  will  come  and  clothe  you." 
And  the  heather  came.  Lovingly  it  bent  its  little 
branches  to  the  ground,  and  struck  fast  its  roots  in 
the  thin  soil  among  the  stones.  Soon  the  whole 
sand  hill  was  clothed  with  the  lovely  green  color. 

"  Yes,  you  can  clothe  it  in  green,"  said  the  other 
plants,  "  but  you  have  no  flowers  to  give." 

Then  a  voice  was  heard  from  the  sky,  sa}ring : 

"  For  the  love  thou  hast  shown,  thou,  also,  shalt 
receive  flowers,  and  they  shall  bear  the  color  of 
love."  And  immediately  there  hung  down  the 
loveliest  tiny  red  flowers  from  every  slender  branch 
of  the  heather  bush. 

And  to  this  day  the  heather  wears  this  beautiful 
ornament,  which  it  received  from  God  for  its  warm 
love's  sake ;  but  it  remains  just  as  meek  and  gentle 
to-day  as  when  it  first  took  its  place  on  the  poor, 
stony  hill,  whose  greatest  ornament  it  has  been 
ever  since,  and  always  will  be. 


FROM   MINE   AND   FORGE. 

IN  everything  there  dwells  a  spirit :  in  the  water 
which  roars  in  the  brook,  in  the  leaf  that  rustles 
on  the  tree,  in  the  sun  ray  which  niters  through 
the  leaves  and  branches,  and  comes  to  earth  as  a 
greeting  from  heaven  —  yes,  every  where  the  pres- 
ence of  a  spirit  is  to  be  found.  For  this  reason 
each  thing  can  relate  something  to  you,  if  you 
will  only  listen  to  it,  and  have  ears  open  to  its 
language.  But  that  language  is  so  mysterious 
that  not  all  can  understand  it.  The  professor,  the 
learned  man,  who  knows  what  everything  is  called 
in  twenty  different  languages,  cannot  hear,  per- 
haps, what  the  thing  relates,  while  the  child,  oil 
the  contrary,  taking  the  first  steps  on  Life's  jour- 
ney, can  understand  so  much.  That  is  certainly 
wonderful,  but  it  depends,  as  we  have  .said,  on  the 
ears  being  open. 

Have  you  seen  how  the  little  bird  creeps  in 
among  the  thick  leaves  when  the  rain  falls  and  the 
thunder  rolls?  Have  you  seen  how  the  ivy  twines 
around  the  oak  and  finds  support  in  the  strong 
thing  whose  rough  trunk  it  clothes  ?  If  you  have 

119 


120         FROM  MINE  AND  FORGE. 

seen  only  that  —  and  there  are  thousands  on  thou- 
sands such  examples  —  then  you  know  that  one 
can  comprehend  what  is  meant,  without  hearing 
an  audible  language,  for  you  see  it  is  the  ear,  it  is 
the  heart,  it  is  love  —  yes,  just  love  —  that  teaches 
us  to  know,  and  the  more  we  love  the  more  we  are 
able  to  comprehend.  Thus  it  is.  There  is  nothing 
skillful  about  it,  although  the  wise  ones  of  the 
world  have  bothered  their  brains  about  it  ever 
since  the  creation,  and  just  as  surely  will  ponder 
on  it  as  long  as  they  have  ground  under  their  feet 
—  that  is  to  say,  till  the  earth  passes  away. 

Now  you  know  how  we  are  able  to  hear  what 
things  talk  about,  and  so  we  can  begin  our 
legend. 

Far  away  stood  a  great  mountain,  where  elves 
flitted  back  and  forth,  and  the  waterfall  foamed 
and  rushed.  It  was  a  noble  hill,  one  of  the  many 
in  our  land.  Veins  of  ore  crossed  each  other  in 
innumerable  directions,  and  iron  dwelt  therein  in 
thousands,  yes,  many  thousands  of  cartloads.  It 
was  a  noble  mountain,  a  rich  mountain,  all  so  un- 
assuming, and  it  struck  its  root  into  the  heart  of 
the  earth,  where  the  liquid  metal  flows  like  water. 

But  only  a  little  bit  of  the  rich  metal  vein  came 
up  to  the  daylight,  and  that  bit  lay  right  along 
by  the  roadside.  Horses  tramped  on  it,  carriage 
wheels  rolled  over  it,  men's  feet  wore  the  stones, 
and  after  awhile  men  came  with  sharp  pickaxes 


FROM   MINE  AND  FOEGE.  121 

and  knocked  off  a  piece,  so  as  to  make  the  road 
level. 

"  The  rocky  vein  in  the  mountain  is  a  continual 
trouble,"  they  said. 

But  the  spirits  in  the  iron  spoke  to  each  other. 
"  Those  who  live  up  there  where  daylight  begins 
break  and  destroy,"  said  the  spirit  who  had  been 
placed  lower  down.  "  Rather  than  stay  up  there 
and  be  tramped  on  by  everybody,  I  would  be  a 
common  gray  stone." 

"  I  never  would  submit  to  it,"  said  another.  "  I 
should  send  out  sparks,  and  roar  with  indignation, 
so  that  they  should  feel  a  little  respect  for  me." 

But  the  other,  which  had  its  position  above,  said 
nothing  to  this,  although  it  heard  every  word.  It 
had  seen  a  little  of  the  world ;  it  had  experience, 
and  that  gives  a  meek  and  sensible  mind.  One 
may  be  pounded,  one  may  be  broken,  perhaps 
trampled  on  sometimes,  also  ;  it  does  good,  if  only 
it  be  pure  metal  in  the  mountain  ;  and  in  this  way 
so  much  more  quickly  the  light  is  reached.  So  it 
happened  here,  as  you  shall  hear. 

One  day  a  gentleman  drove  along  —  such  a  one 
as  reads  stones,  mountains  and  metals,  and  under- 
stands such  things.  He  was  traveling  slowly  now. 
The  carriage  wheels  scraped  against  the  mountain 
rock,  which  lay  bare  again.  He  looked  at  the  iron 
bands  around  the  wheels,  for  they  had  become 
such  a  peculiar  color. 


122         FROM  MINE  AND  FORGE. 

"  What !  "  said  he,  and  stood  still.  He  got  out, 
and  took  a  machine  called  a  compass  from  his 
pocket.  In  the  compass  sits  a  needle  called  a 
magnet.  Such  a  needle  is  made  of  the  very  finest 
iron ;  yes,  from  the  heart's  core  of  the  iron  vein. 
For  this  reason  the  magnet  trembles  when  it  comes 
into  the  neighborhood  of  iron,  and  stretches  its 
only  arm  out  towards  the  spirit  that  lives  there, 
because  the  magnet  needle  remembers  back  to  its 
childhood's  home. 

The  needle  now  moved  hastily ;  she  stood  right 
up  and  down  (further  she  could  not  go),  with  one 
end  pointed  toward  the  iron  vein  in  the  mountain, 
with  the  other  toward  heaven. 

"  Here  is  a  rich  streak  of  ore,"  said  the  traveler, 
and  drove  away.  Soon  he  came  back,  however, 
and  with  him  many  people.  They  hammered  and 
dug  in  the  mountain,  and  piece  after  piece  of  ore 
was  brought  up  to  light.  But  the  first  piece  that 
was  split  off  was  the  part  of  the  vein  which  lay  in 
sight  on  the  road. 

"That  was  a  fine  piece  of  ore,"  said  a  miner 
and  the  workingmen.  So  they  put  the  piece  in  a 
wagon,  took  it  to  a  furnace,  and  smelted  it ;  it 
flowed  out  then  as  the  purest  iron,  and  was  put  in 
two  great  moulds.  In  one  mould  it  became  a  ham- 
mer, so  large,  so  large,  and  in  the  other  an  anvil, 
so  strong,  so  strong. 

Beside  the  waterfall  a  great  gutter  was   built, 


FROM  MINE  AND  FORGE.         123 

and  in  the  gutter  a  powerful  wheel  turned.  A  lit- 
tle way  from  the  wheel  the  hammer  was  placed  on 
a  large  handle,  and  under  the  hammer  stood  the 
anvil.  When  the  wheel  turned  around  the  hammer 
lifted,  and  struck  against  the  anvil.  "  Klang ! "  rung 
out  then,  "klang!"  it  sounded  so  sprightly  and 
fine,  because  it  was  Swedish  iron  in  both  hammer 
and  anvil. 

Piece  after  piece  of  the  ore  was  brought  up  to 
view,  and  they  all  traveled  from  the  mine  to  the 
furnace,  and  from  the  furnace  to  the  forge. 

The  spirits  in  the  iron  immediately  recognized 
the  anvil  and  hammer  again. 

"  What  does  this  mean  ?  "  asked  they. 

Then  the  smith  came  and  put  the  iron  pieces  in 
the  forge,  and  took  them  out  when  they  were  red- 
hot,  and  then  laid  them  between  the  hammer  and 
anvil. 

"Shall  we  bear  this?"  cried  the  spirits.  "Shall 
we  bear  it,  to  be  beaten  by  that  trampled  on  bit  of 
iron  ?  No ;  huisch  !  huisch  !  "  and  in  anger  they 
sent  out  a  shower  of  sparks  round  about  the  forge, 
so  that  the  people  who  had  never  seen  it  before 
were  frightened,  and  ran  towards  the  door. 

But  the  anvil  and  hammer  are  not  cruel ;  no, 
they  know  that  they  are  doing  right,  that  the  ham- 
mering does  good,  though  it  is  sometimes  painful 
when  one  is  being  moulded  for  life.  So  the  ham- 
mer strikes  very  carefully ;  it  does  not  crush  the 


124         FROM  MINE  AND  FORGE. 

iron  if  it  is  of  the  right  sort,  it  only  shapes  it. 
See  how  skillfully  it  works  !  The  red  lump  grows 
to  be  a  fine,  smooth  bar,  with  sharp,  even  corners, 
straight  as  a  soldier  standing  at  his  post.  But  it 
costs  much,  it  costs  much  ! 

"  We  burn  up  with  indignation  !  "  hissed  the 
spirits,  and  shone  fiery  red.  "  Frisch  !  frisch  !  " 
they  hiss  with  anger,  when  the  smith  dips  them 
in  the  trough  of  water,  in  order  to  cool  off  the 
glowing  wrath  in  them. 

And  then  they  become  calm  !  They  see  how 
well  the  hammer  and  anvil  meant  for  them. 

"  Old  friends,"  they  say  to  the  beating  hammer 
and  trembling  anvil,  "  old  friends  !  " 

And  the  hammer  nods  so  kindly  back.  It  is  not 
haughty  over  all  the  gratitude  it  receives ;  it  and 
the  anvil  have  been  through  their  time  of  trial  be- 
fore ;  they  have  been  trampled  and  broken,  and 
seen  much  out  there  on  the  country  road,  and  such 
things  bring  a  submissive  spirit ;  it  does  not  injure, 
but  benefits,  if  only  the  ore  is  good. 


KING  ALARIK  AND   PRINCESS   DUNSA. 

ALARIK  is  the  name  of  a  king  who  reigned  in  a 
country  which  lies  so  far  away  from  here  that  it  is 
not  to  be  found  in  the  geography  at  all,  so  one  can 
see  that  it  must  be  a  long  way  out  there. 

Alarik's  kingdom  was  a  beautiful  one,  and  peace- 
ful to  live  in,  and  the  young  king  did  everything 
that  could  be  done  to  make  it  finer  still,  because 
he  was  a  proper  king,  you  must  know.  So  his 
fame  spread  far  around  the  world. 

Now  a  little  way  from  Alarik's  country  lay  an- 
other kingdom,  which  was  not  quite  so  large,  but 
there  were  fields  and  meadows  in  the  country,  and 
so  it  fed  its  people,  as  the  saying  is.  The  king 
there  had  also  gathered  a  fine  lot  of  farthings,  for 
he  was  a  very  sensible  man,  and  considered  good 
household  management  and  economy  came  before 
everything  else. 

He  had  an  only  daughter  who  would  sometime 
inherit  the  kingdom  and  the  money,  and  her  name 
was  Dunsa.  As  she  now  knew  that  she  was  a  rich 
man's  child,  she  felt  very  independent  and  thought 
herself  very  fine,  of  course. 

125 


126       KING  ALARIK  AND  PRINCESS  DUNSA. 

"  Whatever  I  want,  I  can  buy,  for  papa  has 
money,"  she  was  wont  to  say,  and  he  could  have 
bought  a  whole  heap  of  things,  it  is  true. 

Meanwhile  the  fame  of  King  Alarik  went  far 
and  wide,  and  the  ladies  who  entertained  the 
Princess  had  so  much  to  tell  about  him,  how  hand- 
some and  fine  he  was,  and  how  much  everybody 
thought  of  him,  that  the  princess  dreamed  about 
him  every  night. 

At  last  she  said  to  the  king  : 

"  Do  you  know,  papa,  I  believe  I  will  be  queen 
to  King  Alarik  ?  You  may  invite  him  over  here." 

"  But  he  has  saved  just  nothing,"  said  the  king, 
and  laid  his  forefinger  on  the  tip  of  his  nose,  as 
some  people  are  in  the  habit  of  doing  when  they 
exert  themselves  to  think. 

"  The  income  will  surely  increase  when  he  has 
an  economical  wife,"  answered  the  princess.  "  Be- 
sides, I  am  heiress  to  so  much  that  we  can  live 
according  to  our  station,  and  we  will  get  more 
when  you  die,  which  cannot  be  very  far  from  now." 
This  last  remark  was  not  very  lovingly  said,  but 
the  Princess  Dunsa  thought  so,  any  way. 

"  Certainly,  certainly,"  said  the  king,  biting  the 
head  of  his  scepter,  "  but  "  — 

"  I  wish  it  so,  papa,"  said  the  princess.  "  It  will 
be  a  fine  marriage."  And  as  Dunsa  had  a  very 
strong  will,  it  happened  as  she  wished. 

So   the  king  sent  his  most  distinguished  lord 


KING   ALARIK   AND  PRINCESS   DUNSA.       127 

with  a  letter  of  invitation  to  King  Alarik,  and  the 
letter  was  written  on  fine  paper  with  gold  edges, 
for  the  king  could  afford  it.  In  the  letter,  it  said 
that  King  Alarik  should  be  welcome  to  meat  and 
drink  and  that  as  long  as  he  chose. 

And  the  young  king  said  thank  you,  and  the 
courtier  rode  home  with  the  message  that  King 
Alarik  would  come.  . 

Now  King  Alarik  wished  to  show  gratitude  for 
this  kindly  feeling,  and  so  sent  a  present  in  the 
shape  of  a  rosebush,  the  most  beautiful  that  ever 
grew.  It  was  now  full  of  the  loveliest  buds  and 
half-blown  red  roses,  and  this  he  sent  to  the 
Princess  Dunsa. 

In  her  father's  house  there  was  now  a  great  fix- 
ing up  and  a  tumult,  whose  equal  had  never  been 
seen  there  before.  Five  cooks  were  engaged,  and 
the  whole  court  had  to  help  in  the  kitchen  besides, 
so  that  everything  should  be  in  order  at  the  right 
time. 

One  dish  after  another  was  filled  with  the  rarest 
preparations,  so  rich  that  they  actually  swam  in 
butter.  Yes,  it  was  such  savory  food  that  the 
crows  licked  their  bills  when  half  a  mile  away  from 
the  kitchen  chimney. 

"  Pratt !  pratt !  pratterat !  "  sounded  from  the 
courtyard.  It  was  a  trumpet,  every  one  recog- 
ni/cd  that,  and  now  there  was  running  hither  and 
thither,  because  they  thought  it  was  King  Alarik. 


128       KING   ALARIK  AND  PRINCESS  DUNS  A. 

But  when  every  one  gathered  around,  it  was  not 
he,  hut  one  of  the  courtiers,  coming  with  the 
beautiful  rosebush. 

"  What  is  that,  papa  ?  "  asked  Dunsa. 

"  Yes,  tell  us  what  is  the  meaning  of  this,"  said 
the  king. 

The  whole  cgurt  stood  and  gazed  at  the  bush, 
but  no  one  was  able  to  say  a  word  about  it. 

The  oldest  cook  was  sent  for.  She  was  an  old 
and  sensible  woman,  and  had  served  in  the  court 
in  the  old  king's  time.  After  she  had  looked  at 
the  bush  awhile,  she  said  : 

"  That  is  a  new  kind  of  vegetable  !  " 

"  Of  course  it  is,  I  thought  so  at  once,"  said  the 
king,  and  looked  immensely  wise. 

"  Yes,  it  is  a  vegetable,"  said  Dunsa.  "  That 
was  so  delicately  done,  to  send  me  just  what  I  like 
most." 

Then  they  went  to  work  to  pick  off  all  the  buds 
and  blossoms  ;  they  chopped  them  fine,  put  them 
in  a  kettle  and  boiled  them  as  they  would  cabbage. 

One  day  when  all  was  ready,  the  sound  of  five 
trumpets  was  heard  in  the  courtyard,  and  this 
time  it  was  King  Alarik  coming  with  his  train. 

He  was  so  beautiful  and  so  tall,  he  bowed  so 
gracefully  and  conversed  so  well,  that  it  was  a 
pleasure  to  look  at  him  and  listen  to  him. 

But  now  the  king  wished  to  entertain  him  while 
the  table  was  being  prepared  for  dinner,  so  he  took 


KING   ALARIK  AND  PEINCESS   DUNS  A.       129 

the  young  king  around  the  farmyard  and  the 
goose-house,  and  to  the  royal  swine  which  were  so 
round  and  fat  and  had  everything  so  comfortable. 

"  Tiiat  is  my  daughter's  favorite  pig,"  said  the 
king,  and  pointed  at  a  little  red  pig  with  a  blue 
silk  ribbon  around  its  neck. 

But  up  in  the  parlor,  King  Alarik  looked  all 
around  to  see  what  had  become  of  the  beautiful 
rosebush,  but  it  was  not  to  be  seen  anywhere. 

Finally  the  dinner  was  ready  and  they  seated 
themselves  at  the  table.  One  course  after  another 
was  borne  in,  but  the  young  king  did  not  look 
happy. 

"It  will  be  different  when  the  vegetable  comes," 
thought  Dunsa,  and  then  the  vegetable  came. 

Then  the  old  king  arose,  took  a  wineglass,  and 
made  a  long  speech,  and  finally  thanked  the  guest 
for  the  rare  gift,  the  splendid  new  vegetable. 

But  when  King  Alarik  heard  that  they  had  made 
greens  of  his  beautiful  rosebush,  he  could  not  en- 
dure it.  He  arose,  thanked  them,  and  begged  to 
be  forgiven,  but  he  must  leave  them,  he  said.  Out 
went  he  and  his  courtiers,  and  galloped  away  from 
the  old  king  and  Dunsa.  • 

"What  was  the  matter  with  him  —  why  did  he 
go  away?"  said  Dunsa,  gazing  out  through  the 
castle  gate. 

"  Yes,  why  did  he  go  ?  "  said  the  old  king ;  "  the 
food  was  surely  extremely  fine." 


130       KING   ALARIK   AND  PRINCESS  DUNSA. 

"  Oh !  have  mercy  on  me ;  he  left  because  we 
forgot  to  put  hard-boiled  egg  around  the  greens," 
said  the  old  cook. 

"  Now  we  have  it,"  said  the  old  king,  as  light 
dawned  upon  him ;  and  then  both  he  and  the 
Princess  peeped  out  through  the  gate  again  to  see 
if  King  Alarik  was  not  coming  back,  but  he  never 
came. 


"THOU   WERT  RIGHT,  LITTLE   DOVE." 

IT  was  cold,  and  stormy  besides.  The  north 
wind  rushed  through  the  streets,  wild  and  angry, 
and  heaped  the  snow  high  here  and  there.  Peo- 
ple who  had  business  out  hurried  home,  and  those 
who  had  warm  garments  wrapped  them  around 
themselves  as  carefully  as  possible,  while  the  poor 
ran  to  keep  themselves  warm. 

"  It  is  terrible  weather  to-night,"  said  one  fur- 
cloaked  man  to  another.  It  was  no  news  he  told, 
but  people  are  apt  to  talk  that  way,  so  as  to  have 
something  to  say. 

"  Yes,  indeed,  it  is,"  replied  the  other.  "  But 
look  !  the  vagabonds  are  out,  too."  He  pointed  at 
an  old  woman,  who  reeled  out  from  an  ale-house, 
which  was  now  locked  behind  her. 

"  Pack  yourself  home,  you  scum,"  said  he  to  the 
woman. 

At  this  she  uttered  some  such  words  as  that 
kind  of  people  know  well,  and  stumbled  onward, 
again. 

"  Hie,  look  out,  old  whiskey  witch ! "  It  was 
two  street  urchins  who  ran  past ;  they  jostled  the 

131 


132       "  THOU  WERT  RIGHT,   LITTLE  DOVE." 

woman  so  she  fell  headlong  in  a  drift.  She  got 
up,  threw  out  an  oath,  and  went  on. 

"  Let  us  punish  her,"  said  the  sriowflakes,  and 
crept  in  among  the  rags  in  her  garments. 

"  Yes,  let  us  lash  her,"  said  the  north  wind,  and 
drove  her  from  the  curbstone  to  the  rows  of 
houses,  and  from  the  houses  to  the  curbstone 
again. 

"  No,  spare  her,  spare  her ! "  said  a  little  dove, 
which  sat  curled  up  under  the  eaves.  "  Perhaps 
there  is  some  good  still  left  in  her." 

"No,  there  is  not,"  answered  the  wind.  The 
snowflakes  agreed  to  this,  and  the  dogs  that  looked 
out  through  the  gates  barked  loudly. 

Farther  and  farther  wandered  the  woman.  The 
high  houses  disappeared,  the  streets  became  more 
and  more  empty  and  deserted,  and  only  one  or 
two  cottages  could  be  seen. 

"  Oh !  I  am  so  cold,  I  am  so  cold,"  sobbed  a 
child's  voice.  It  was  a  little  girl  about  six  years 
old,  who  was  wailing  in  distress. 

The  drunken  woman  stopped.  Her  hazy  brain 
lighted  up,  and  she  took  the  child's  hands  in  hers. 
"  Poor  little  thing,"  said  she,  and  stood  firmly  on 
her  feet  again.  "  Poor  little  thing  !  " 

She  carried  the  small  hands,  blue  with  cold,  to 
her  mouth,  breathed  on  them  until  they  became 
warm  again,  and  rubbed  the  girl's  cheeks  till  the 
blood  returned  to  them. 


"THOU   WERT   RIGHT,   LITTLE  DOVE."       133 

"  Hurry  home,  little  one."  She  drew  the  worn 
shawl  from  her  shoulders  and  wrapped  it  around 
the  child.  "  Now  run  !  " 

And  away  hurried  the  child.  But  the  woman 
remained  standing  there  looking  after  her  till  she 
disappeared  around  a  corner. 

The  intoxication  wore  away  more  and  more. 
The  aged  one  looked  up  towards  heaven;  the 
clouds  parted,  and  a  gleaming  star  shone  down 
from  on  high. 

"  My  God,"  whispered  she  very  softly,  and  sank 
down  on  the  cold  drift ;  she  kept  her  eyes  fixed 
on  the  clear  star,  around  which  the  sky  grew 
brighter  and  brighter.  A  smile  lay  on  the  cold 
lips  —  such  a  one  as  had  not  rested  there  for  many 
a  year  —  but  the  aged  one  saw  nothing  more. 

The  north  wind  blew  so  soft  and  low,  and  laid 
the  snowflakes  for  a  covering  over  the  woman  —  a 
covering  so  white  and  spotless  that  no  queen  rests 
beneath  one  more  pure.  In  the  morning  the  peo- 
ple found  a  woman  frozen  to  death  in  the  street. 

"  Any  one  might  know  that  Whiskey  Witch 
would  come  to  such  an  end,"  they  said.  "  She 
seems  to  look  so  happy,"  said  an  old  woman  ;  "  I 
never  saw.  her  look  so  contented  when  alive." 

The  little  dove  looked  down  from  the  roof  on 
the  simple  funeral  procession. 

"  Thou  wert  right,  little  dove,"  whispered  the 
wind  and  suowflakes. 


PER  JONSSON'S  BOOT  TRADE. 

PER  JONSSOK  was  not  a  stupid  man,  you  must 
know.  He  was  strong  to  work,  quick  in  his  move- 
ments, shrewd  and  sensible  besides  —  that  is  to 
say,  shrewd  in  much,  but  not  in  all  things;  but 
there  is  scarcely  any  human  being  that  is  so. 

His  wife's  name  was  Greta,  and  she  stood  faith- 
fully by  him  in  work,  so  that  their  household  im- 
proved and  progressed  in  many  ways.  So  many 
things  came  •  into  the  possession  of  Per  Jonsson 
and  his  wife,  but  nothing  was  a  match  for  his  work 
boots.  He  had  had  them  now  for  several  years, 
and  there  was  not  a  crack  in  the  leather,  and  they 
fitted  very  easily  on  his  feet  and  did  not  press  a 
single  one  of  his  corns.  He  was  perfectly  satisfied 
with  them  for  a  long  time,  and  had  every  reason 
to  be  so,  of  course. 

However  it  was,  Per  began,  as  time  went  on,  to 
think  less  of  his  boots.  Sometimes  he  thought 
they  were  too  square  at  the  toes,  and  sometimes 
they  looked  just  the  opposite  —  as  if  they  were  too 
pointed  instead.  The  creases  on  'the  foot  were 
sometimes  too  high  up  and  sometimes  too  low 

134 


PER  JONSSON'S  BOOT  TRADE.  135 

down,  and  one  fault  was  so,  and  another  was  so, 
but  nothing  to  suit  him. 

"  I  believe  I  will  sell  my  boots,  I  do,"  said  the 
man  one  morning,  while  he  sat  and  gazed  at  them 
with  a  reflective  and  dissatisfied  air. 

"  And  why  should  you  do  that  ? "  answered 
Greta,  who  was  peeling  potatoes  for  breakfast. 

"Why,  can  you  not  see  that?"  asked  the  man, 
who  now  felt  irritable.  "Why,  do  you  not  see 
that  the  tops  are  too  short  ?  But  you  women  folks 
never  see  anything." 

"But  you  certainly  said  yesterday  that  the  tops 
were  too  long,"  added  the  woman. 

"Did  I?  well,  that  might  be,  but  then,  they 
have  shrunk.  No,  I  thank  you  ;  I  know  how  it  is 
with  neighbor  Lasse's  boots ;  they  feel  as  easy  on 
the  feet  as  if  he  had  none  on." 

"  Well,  that  may  be,"  continued  Greta,  "  for  he 
is  tapping  the  soles,  and  that  helps  make  them 
easy." 

"You  do  not  understand  anything  about  it, 
mother,"  said  the  man,  "but  I  have  seen  and 
heard  a  lot,  I  have,  and  now  must  I  not  know  how 
a  pair  of  boots  should  fit  ?  You  better  believe  I 
do !  Now  I  shall  go  to  the  city  and  trade  them 
off  for  another  pair." 

There  was  no  help  for  the  thing,  because  the 
man  was  so  obstinate,  you  see.  He  took  ten  shin- 
ing pieces  of  silver  from  his  chest  to  give  in  ex- 


136  PER  JONSSON'S  BOOT  TRADE. 

change,  and  then  he  went  to  the  city,  where  there 
was  a  market  being  held.  He  met  a  man  carrying 
a  pair  of  boots  on  a  pole. 

"  Shall  we  trade  boots  ?  "  asked  Per  Jonsson. 

The  fellow  looked  at  Per's  boots,  pinched  the 
leather,  and  pressed  his  thumbs  against  the  soles. 
"  I  will  do  it,"  said  he,  "  but  I  must  have  three 
riksdaler  besides." 

Per  scratched  his  head,  but  as  he  wished  to  get 
rid  of  his  boots,  he  agreed,  and  then  they  parted. 

But  when  Per  had  walked  awhile  his  feet  felt 
badly ;  the  pegs  pricked  him,  the  uppers  pressed, 
and  the  heels  wrinkled  up. 

"  The  boots  are  not  worth  anything,"  said  Per, 
and  made  a  wry  face.  Then  he  met  another  man, 
with  whom  he  opened  a  conversation,  and  then 
proposed  trading  boots.  This  man  examined  Per's 
boots,  and  thought  they  were  not  good  for  much. 
"  But  if  you  will  give  me  three  kronor  in  exchange 
we  will  make  a  trade,"  said  he. 

Per  Jonsson  looked  at  the  other's  boots,  and 
thought  they  looked  very  nice,  and  as  for  those  he 
had  on,  they  were  past  improving ;  so  he  traded, 
for  a  man  must  have  a  proper  pair  of  boots.  He 
now  drew  on  the  new  ones,  but  they  were  worse 
than  the  others.  It  was  exactly  as  if  he  had  put 
his  foot  into  a  vise  and  an  ant-hill  at  the  same 
time.  Indeed,  it  was  perfectly  impossible  to  stand 
up  in  them ! 


PER  JONSSON'S  BOOT  TRADE.  137 

"  That  is  very  singular,"  thought  Per,  and  it 
occurred  to  him  that  perhaps  the  old  boots  were 
the  best,  after  all ;  but  he  would  not  admit  it  even 
to  himself,  no,  indeed! 

"  When  I  exchange  again — for  I  am  obliged  to 
get  rid  of  these  —  I  will  certainly  be  careful." 

He  went  limping  around  —  for  the  boots  hurt 
his  feet  every  step  he  took  —  a  long  while,  but 
could  not  find  any  boots  that  suited.  Finally,  he 
chanced  to  meet  a  man  who  had  a  pair  of  very 
fine  boots,  and  he  asked  if  they  should  trade. 

"  Well,  that  is  worth  thinking  about,"  said  the 
man,  and  they  talked  together  a  long  time,  bar- 
gained and  haggled,  and  at  last  Per  Jonsson  took 
the  boots,  but  he  was  obliged  to  give  four  kronor 
in  the  trade. 

Per  now  put  the  boots  on.  He  took  a  step  with 
the  left  foot,  and  stopped  to  see  if  it  felt  easy,  for 
he  was  now  used  to  having  his  feet  pinched,  but  it 
did  not  hurt  at  all.  Then  he  took  a  step  with  the 
right  foot;  yes,  it  was  just  as  fine  as  the  other. 
Now  he  began  to  step  off,  and  they  felt  very 
comfortable. 

"  There,  now,  that  is  the  right  kind  of  tackling," 
thought  Per  Jonsson.  "  That  is  the  way  a  pair  of 
boots  ought  to  fit." 

He  turned  towards  home,  to  his  wife  Greta,  so 
satisfied  with  his  trade,  although  the  purse  was 
ten  kronor  lighter. 


138  PER  JONSSON'S  BOOT  TRADE. 

"It  was  dear,  certainly,"  thought  he,  "but  if  one 
will  have  something  that  is  good  for  anything,  he 
must  pay  for  it.  How  Greta  will  open  her  eyes 
when  she  sees  that  I  was  man  enough  to  find  a 
pair  of  boots  for  myself,  better  than  the  old  ones." 

Now  when  he  got  home  he  felt  grand,  and  took 
on  airs,  as  one  can  believe,  and  walked  backwards 
and  forwards  on  the  floor  till  the  boards  creaked, 
and  he  stuck  out  his  feet  as  much  as  possible ;  but 
the  old  woman  saw  nothing,  she  only  sat  and  spun. 

"  Do  you  not  see,  mother,"  said  Per  Jonsson,  "  do 
you  not  see  tha.t  I  found  a  pair  of  perfect  boots  at 
last?  What  say  ?  "  He  put  out  his  right  foot  first, 
and  the  left  one  afterwards.  "  Do  you  see  ?  " 

"And  are  they  not  too  narrow  now,  or  too  square 
at  the  toes  or  too  short-legged  ?  " 

"  Oh !  what  questions  ;  they  feel  as  if  they  had 
grown  on  my  feet.  Did  I  not  say  so,  I  could  get 
a  pair  of  decent  boots  at  last  ?  To  be  sure  I  had 
to  give  ten  kroner  in  exchange,  but  I  got  what  is 
good  for  something." 

"  Ten  riksdaler !  "  shrieked  Greta,  for  she  kept 
to  the  old  term,  as  women  are  apt  to  do.  "  Ten 
riksdaler  !  "  And  now  she  had  to  look  at  the  boots, 
which  the  man  standing  there  was  so  proudly 
showing. 

"  But  mercy  on  us,  father  !  "  cried  she,  clasping 
her  hands,  "  they  are  the  old  boots  you  have  traded 
back  again."  And  she  turned  down  the  top  and 


PER  JONSSON'S  BOOT  TRADE.  139 

pointed.  Yes,  there  stood  Per  Jonsson's  address. 
It  was  evident  that  the  woman  was  right,  and  Per 
could  not  contradict  it. 

"  H'm  !  "  said  Per,  and  did  not  speak  again  the 
whole  evening.  But  since  that  day  he  has  never 
complained  of  his  boots,  and  it  is  a  good  thing 
when  one  can  buy  contentment  for  ten  kroner. 


THE  OLD  SECRETARY'S  CHRISTMAS  EVE. 

BOTH  large  and  small  all  through  the  city  knew 
the  old  secretary,  which  was  not  surprising,  because 
he  always  wore  the  same  dress,  and  expression,  too. 
The  thin,  smoothly  combed  gray  hair  was  always 
covered  by  the  same  tall  gray  hat ;  the  bushy  eye- 
brows, the  sharp  eyes  and  the  firmly  closed  mouth 
were  forever  unchanged.  As  long  as  any  one 
could  remember  the  secretary,  he  had  worn  the 
round  blue  cape  with  the  many  wide  collars,  the 
checked  cotton  umbrella,  and  the  gray  knee- 
breeches.  The  large  galoshes  went  by  the  name 
of  "  boats  "  among  the  boys  of  the  city  ;  "  klapp  ! 
klapp !  "  they  sounded  on  the  rough  stones  of  the 
street.  The  old  secretary  looked  so  comical,  many 
thought,  but  no  one  dared  to  say  so,  because  the 
young  folks  were  afraid  of  the  man  who  went  'on 
his  way  silent  and  alone. 

No  one  knew  where  the  secretary  had  come  from, 
or  what  his  childhood  had  been.  He  wrote  for 
people  now,  and  helped  them  with  their  accounts, 
and  that  is  the  reason  he  was  called  secretary ;  be- 
cause a  person  must  be  called  something. 

140 


THE  OLD  SECRETARY'S  CHRISTMAS  EVE.  141 

He  did  not  earn  much,  to  be  sure,  but  he  did 
not  need  much,  either,  where  he  lived  in  his  attic 
room,  to  which  no  one  came  without  an  errand 
there.  The  secretary  had  no  need  to  invite  strangers 
there,  it  is  true,  for  he  never  went  out  except  to 
his  work  —  the  lonely  old  man. 

Christmas  eve  had  come,  and  just  here  the  story 
begins.  In  the  forenoon,  people  hurried  back 
and  forth  on  the  streets  ;  the  shops  were  crowded, 
and  Christmas  presents  were  bought,  wrapped  up 
and  sealed. 

In  the  market  place  stood  many  Christmas 
spruces,  both  large  and  small,  so  the  purchasers 
could  choose  according  to  their  own  liking  and 
taste  ;  and  the  beautiful  green  trees  found  ready 
sale. 

In  the  afternoon  it  grew  more  quiet,  and  when 
evening  came  it  was  very  silent  out-of-doors,  but 
in  the  windows  light  after  light  appeared  both  in 
the  stately  rooms  of  the  rich,  and  the  lowly  hut  of 
the  poor  man,  because  Christmas  is  such  a  blessed 
time  that  people  share  with  each  other,  so  that  no 
one  shall  entirely  miss  Christmas  jo3rs. 

The  old,  secretary  wandered  alone  through  the 
streets  towards  his  lonely,  silent  home,  as  he  had 
done  for  many,  many  years.  Now  and  then  the 
sound  of  happy  voices  reached  his  ears,  shadows 
danced  gaily  out  on  the  curtains,  and  travelers, 
one  and  all,  hastened  past  him  with  quickened  steps. 


142  THE  OLD  SECRETARY'S  CHRISTMAS  EVE. 

"  Ah,  yes !  this  is  Christmas  eve,"  said  he  to 
himself,  but  silently,  so  that  no  one  heard  it. 

"  Christmas  eve  !  "  —  he  stopped  an   instant  as 
if  something  special  passed  through  his  mind  — 
"  Christmas  eve ! " 

He  had  now  come  as  far  as  the  great  market 
place.  A  little  boy  still  stood  there  with  a  small 
spruce-tree.  He  would  so  gladly  have  sold  it,  but 
now  it  looked  hopeless  to  him. 

The  old  secretary  stopped  before  the  little  tree. 

"  What  do  you  ask  for  the  spruce  ? "  he  said 
shyly,  as  if  he  appeared  stupid  in  asking  such  a 
question.  The  boy  named  the  price  ;  it  was  only 
twenty-five  ore. 

"  Here  you  have  it,  little  one,"  said  the  old  sec- 
retary, and  handed  the  boy  a  krona.  "  I  will  take 
the  spruce  with  me."  He  moved  his  head  a  little, 
and  that  was  for  a  nod,  and  walked  away,  while 
the  boy,  his  face  red  with  delight,  ran  home. 

"I  wonder  if  I  had  better  dress  the  Christmas- 
tree  for  Pettersson's  girl  !  "  said  the  secretary  to 
himself,  just  as  quietly  as  before.  He  decided  to 
do  so. 

He  then  went  into  several  shops,  and  bought 
trinkets  such  as  one  hangs  on  a  Christmas-tree,  to 
the  great  wonderment  of  the  clerks  in  the  stores 
and  the  purchasers  who  were  in  them.  "What  has 
happened  to  the  old  secretary  ?  He  had  a  spruce 
in  his  hand,"  said  they. 


THE  OLD  SECRETARY'S  CHRISTMAS  EVE.  143 

But  the  secretary  neither  heard  nor  thought  about 
what  the  people  might  say.  With  his  hands  and 
pockets  full  he  came  home,  and  then  began  to  trim 
up  the  Christmas-tree.  It  went  slowly,  for  it  was 
many,  many  years  since  he  had  done  so,  but  at  last 
it  was  ready  with  candles  and  everything. 

"I  will  light  the  candles  before  I  call  the  girl 
in  ;  "  and  the  old  man  lighted  one  after  another  of 
the  small  wax  candles,  and  it  became  then  more 
brilliant  than  it  had  ever  been  in  the  little  room 
before.  The  old  man  sat  down  and  gazed  at  the 
little  tree.  He  clasped  his  hands. 

"  Oh  !  how  beautiful,"  he  exclaimed  out  loud, 
so  that  anybody  could  have  heard  it,  if  there  had 
been  any  one  there. 

His  eyebrows  moved  rapidly  ;  in  the  corner  of 
each  eye  there  gleamed  a  tear,  then  many  followed 
and  fell  like  a  soft,  warm  May  rain,  on  the  aged, 
wrinkled  cheeks. 

Whether  it  was  because  he  saw  the  tree  through 
tears  or  for  what  reason,  he  beheld  such  wonderf ul 
pictures !  The  room  became  large,  the  spruce 
grew,  and  a  host  of  curly-headed  children  moved 
around  it,  in  gleeful  dance.  Father  and  mother, 
yes,  his  own  father  and  mother  joined  the  ring  and, 
yes,  there  was  his  own  self,  not  as  an  old  secretary, 
no,  as  a  gay,  blue-eyed  boy  with  rosy  cheeks,  and 
the  other  children  were  his  brothers  and  sisters ! 
Faster  fell  the  tears,  but  they  did  not  burn,  as 


144  THE  OLD  SECRETARY'S  CHRISTMAS  EVE. 

when  one  usually  weeps,  but  they  fell  softly,  like 
dew  on  a  summer  night,  on  the  parched  plains. 
The  old  secretary  hardly  dared  to  breathe,  because 
he  was  afraid  the  vision  would  vanish. 

Now,  the  picture  changes.  The  little  ones  stand 
beside  father  and  mother  with  clasped  hands. 

"  O,  hear ! "  whispered  the  secretary.  "  Dear  God, 
hear  !  it  is  surely  the  old  Christmas  psalm." 

The  tones  rose,  so  distinct  and  clear,  the  delicate 
childish  voices  sounded  so  fresh  in  the  evening 
stillness  ! 

The  secretary  sang  with  them  — 

"  A  Virgin  bears  a  child  to-day  "  — 

and  so  on  through  the  beautiful  psalm.  The  voice 
is  weak  and  trembling,  but  he  does  not  hear  it,  he 
hears  the  voices  of  father  and  mother,  brothers  and 
sisters,  he  hears  his  own  childish  tones  ;  he  is  no 
longer  in  his  dreary  little  chamber ;  he  is  in  his 
childhood's  home  again,  among  the  dear  ones, 
whom  he  never  thought  to  see  again  in  this 
life. 

In  the  outer  room  stood  Madam  Pettersson,  the 
one  who  let  him  his  room,  and  prepared  his  food 
for  him.  She  never  had  heard  him  sing  before  ;  it 
was  so  strange ! 

"  Hush,  Lina  !  "  says  she  to  the  girl,  who  stood 
right  by  the  door,  listening.  "  We  must  not  go  in 


THE  OLD  SECRETARY'S  CHRISTMAS  EVE.  145 

before  he  is  done  !  What  do  you  suppose  he  can 
have  there  ?  " 

—  "he  never  from  us  parteth !  " 

now  sang  the  secretary ;  that  is  the  last  verse  of  the 
psalm,  and  so  it  was  ended. 

Madam  Pettersson  opened  the  door.  "  Oh,  see ! " 
exclaimed  she,  clapping  her  hands,  "  the  secretary 
has  trimmed  a  Christmas-tree  for  himself  !  " 

But  the  secretary  did  not  answer.  He  sat  lean- 
ing back  in  his  chair,  with  his  hands  clasped  and  a 
beautiful  smile  on  his  lips.  Madam  Pettersson 
had  never  seen  him  look  so  cheerful. 

"  Secretary  —  oh  !  what !  I  believe  he  is  dead ! " 
She  moved  his  hands,  his  head,  but  he  sat  the  same 
as  before. 

Yes,  he  was  dead,  as  she  said,  but  he  had  never 
looked  so  happy,  as  Madam  Pettersson  could 
remember. 


THE   PINE  AND   THE   FLAX. 

JUST  where  the  forest  ended,  grew  a  pine-tree, 
taller  and  more  beautiful  than  all  the  others  in  the 
forest,  and  far  away  could  be  seen  its  feathery 
round  crown,  whose  soft  branches  waved  so  grace- 
fully when  the  wind  blew  across  the  plain. 

At  the  foot  of  the  pine-tree  the  fields  of  grain 
began.  Here  the  farmer  sowed  seeds  of  many 
kinds,  but  the  flax  was  sowed  nearest  the  pine.  It 
came  up  beautiful  and  even,  and  the  pine  thought 
a  great  deal  of  the  slender  green  thing.  And  the 
flax  stalk  raised  itself  higher  and  higher,  and  near 
the  close  of  summer,  it  bore  a  little  blue  helmet  oil 
its  head. 

"  Thou  art  so  beautiful !  "  said  the  tall  pine. 
The  flax  was  embarrassed  and  bowed  itself  low  to- 
wards the  ground,  but  raised  itself  again  so  grace- 
fully that  it  all  looked  like  a  billowy  little  sea, 
with  rising  and  falling  waves. 

The  flax  and  the  pine  often  talked  to  each  other, 
and  became  such  great  friends  that  they  promised 
to  keep  each  other  company  always. 

"What  kind  of  folly  is  that?"  said  the  other 

146 


THE  PINE  AND  THE  FLAX.  147 

forest  trees  to  the  pine.  "  Do  not  have  anything 
to  do  with  the  flax  !  It  is  hardly  an  ell  high,  and 
is  so  weak  and  feeble.  No ;  if  you  must  have  a 
friend,  choose  the  tall  spruce  over  there  or  the 
birch-tree  yonder  on  the  hill.  They  are  tall  and 
strong  and  are  fit  for  you." 

But  the  pine  would  not  desert  the  flax,  and  did 
not  listen  to  what  its  forest  comrades  said. 

The  thistle,  burdock,  and  other  small  plants 
around  there,  talked  to  the  flax. 

"  Are  you  crazy  to  think  of  the  lofty  pine  !  "  said 
they.  "  Do  you  think  it  troubles  itself  about  you  ? 
It  is  tall  and  proud,  and  the  favorite  of  all  the 
forest  trees.  What  can  you  do  for  each  other? 
No ;  children  of  a  size  play  best  together.  Turn 
your  attention  to  the  juniper  bush  or  raspberry  vine, 
as  long  as  you  are  not  so  very  clever,  and  content 
yourself  with  one  of  us." 

"  I  shall  trust  the  pine-tree,"  replied  the  flax. 
"  It  looks  so  honorable  and  faithful,  and  I  am  so 
fond  of  it."  And  so  the  pine  and  the  flax  did  not 
desert  each  other,  whatever  was  said  round  about 
there. 

But  time  passed  on.  The  flax  was  pulled  up, 
and  ropes  and  cloth  were  made  from  it.  The  pine 
was  felled,  the  branches  were  chopped  off,  and  it 
was  carried  to  the  city.  Still  they  did  not  forget 
each  other,  although  neither  knew  where  the  other 
was. 


148  THE  PINE    A^TD  THE  FLAX. 

In  the  city  to  which  the  pine  was  taken,  lay  a 
large  and  beautiful  ship,  lately  launched  in  the 
water.  On  this  the  pine  was  erected  as  a  mast, 
and  on  the  -highest  point  waved  the  flag  with  the 
yellow  cross  on  the  blue  ground.  But  the  proud 
mast  could  not  carry  the  ship  forward.  Then 
there  came  a  great  white  cloth  ;  that  was  the  sail. 
It  went  up  after  the  mast,  wrapped  itself  around 
it,  spread  itself  out  like  a  giant  wing  and  caught 
the  wind  in  its  wide  curve. 

The  sail  was  woven  of  the  linen  that  grew  out 
in  the  field  on  the  edge  of  the  wood,  and  both 
friends,  who  were  so  dear  to  each  other,  clasped 
each  other  faithfully.  Out  over  the  blue  waves 
and  foaming  billows  they  went,  to  new,  beautiful 
lands  and  unknown  places.  It  was  life,  it  was 
pleasure  to  go  on  united,  side  by  side. 

The  wind,  who  travels  with  messages  around 
the  world,  flew  to  the  forest,  to  the  thistle  and  the 
burdock  and  told  them  that  the  pine  and  flax,  now 
united,  were  traveling  over  the  ocean. 

"  Who  would  have  believed  it  ?  "  whispered  the 
forest  trees. 

"  Who  could  have  believed  it !  "  said  the  burdock 
and  its  comrades. 

But  the  pine  and  the  flax  had  believed  it ;  be- 
lieved in  each  other. 


THE  DIAMOND  AND  THE  GLASS  BIT. 

i 

THERE  lay  at  the  goldsmith's,  on  the  black  velvet 
which  covered  the  bottom  of  the  case,  ring  after 
ring.  The  case  was  locked,  but  through  the  thick 
plate  glass  one  could  see  the  costly  ornaments 
which  glistened  so  finely  in  the  sunlight.  In 
every  ring  in  the  row  there  glistened  a  stone  ;  but 
although  they  were  so  gleamingly  beautiful,  they 
were  only  glass  —  cut>glass  bits,  which  had  been 
formed  like  precious  stones.  Only  a  single  one  was 
a  genuine  diamond ;  but  the  others  were  so  like  it 
that  only  the  most  practiced  eye  could  discover 
the  difference.  If  one  looked  at  the  small  cards 
that  were  fastened  to  the  rings,  and  read  the 
price,  he  could  see  at  once  that  there  must  be  a 
difference,  because  the  ring  with  the  diamond,  cost 
as  many  thousands  as  the  others  cost  tens. 

"  Just  think,"  said  one  of  the  glass  bits,  "  how 
expensive  and  haughty  His  Grace  is  !  Four  thou- 
sands, if  you  please  !  And  we  shine  just  as  finely 
for  all  that." 

"  Yes,  I  think  so,"  said  another  glass  bit.  "  I 
am  cut  like  a  solitaire  ;  exactly  like  the  one  the 

149 


150    THE  DIAMOND  AND  THE  GLASS  BIT. 

king  wears  in  his  crown ;  no  one  could  be  able  to 
distinguish  us.  I  am  not  disagreeable  over  it. 
Heaven  forbid !  but  one  always  knows  his  own 
worth,  and  so  I  must  consider  myself  just  as  good 
as  that  puffed-up  creature  !  " 

"  Yes,  it  is  remarkable  how  haughty  some  people 
can  be,  although  another,  who  can  have  reason  to 
be  so,  is  not  at  all  pompous.  My  mother  was  a 
grain  of  sand,  and  once  when  the  king  was  out 
walking,  he  trampled  on  the  grain  of  sand  —  think 
of  that !  His  Majesty's  boot  trampled  on  my 
mother !  She  stuck  to  his  boot  and  went  along 
with  him  for  several  hours  ;  came  into  the  castle 
and  went  out  with  the  court  sweepings,  and  after- 
ward went,  with  many  other  grains  of  sand,  to  the 
glass-house.  But  she  never  forgot  who  she  was, 
never !  and  I  am  her  daughter.  But  am  I  haughty 
towards  you  for  that?  Do  I  not  lie  here  among 
you  others,  just  as  if  I  were  not  better  than  you  ? 
When  I  made  love  to  that  diamond  there,  just 
think,  he  thanked  me,  but  did  not  wish  to  bind 
himself  ;  pride,  only  pride !  Now  I  must  remain 
single,  for  he  was  the  only  one  suitable  for  me,  and 
one  cannot  go  entirely  out  of  her  station." 

Then  the  door  opened  and  in  came  a  gentleman, 
a  fine  gentleman,  with  a  sable  collar  on  his  travel- 
ing coat ;  it  was  nearly  Christmas  time,  and  it  was 
cold  out.  The  goldsmith  bowed  himself  low,  for 
he  recognized  the  rich  earl  who  lived  a  few  miles 


THE  DIAMOND  AND  THE  GLASS   BIT.         151 

from  the  city,  and  knew  that  the  business  he  should 
do  with  him,  would  amount  to  something. 

u  I  wish  to  buy  a  ring  for  my  lady  love,"  said 
the  earl,  "  a  ring  with  a  real  diamond  in  it,  if  you 
have  such  a  one." 

Certainly,  there  was  one,  just  that  one  of  which 
the  rings  were  speaking.  It  was  taken  out  and 
turned  around  so  it  shone  against  the  daylight. 

"  I  can  see  that  is  a  fine  stone,  a  real  diamond," 
said  the  earl.  "  I  understand  a  little  about  pre- 
cious stones."  And  then  they  agreed  to  the  price 
and  the  earl  bought  the  ring. 

"  It  is  only  glass  in  these,  of  course,"  said  he, 
and  pointed  to  the  others. 

"  Yes,  only  cut-glass,"  replied  the  goldsmith, 
and  took  up  the  ring  whose  mother  had  once  been 
in  the  pile  of  court-sweepings.  "  But  they  are 
well  cut." 

"  I  shall  buy  this  one,  too,  for  novelty's  sake," 
said  the  earl,  and  so  the  two  rings  were  laid  in  the 
same  case. 

"  Farewell,"  said  the  diamond  to  its  comrades. 

"Just  see;  an  engagement  has  come  about, 
after  all,"  said  the  bit  of  glass  in  the  ring.  "If  I 
should  meet  you  out  in  the  world,  I  should  try  to 
recognize  you." 

The  earl  put  the  case  in  his  pocket,  jumped  into 
his  sleigh  and  drove  out  into  the  countn',  towards 
home.  But  while  the  sleigh  was  speeding  over 


152        THE  DIAMOND   AND  THE   GLASS   BIT. 

the  snow-covered  road,  the  ring  case  slipped  out  of 
his  pocket  down  into  the  sleigh,  and  when  they 
jolted  a  little,  it  fell  on  the  country  road. 

The  sleigh  went  over  it,  the  case  was  crushed, 
and  the  rings  lay  in  the  snow.  As  it  was  evening, 
no  one  saw  the  shining  ornaments  ;  sleighs  and 
horses'  hoofs  went  over  them,  and  when  morning 
dawned,  they  could  not  be  seen  at  all,  they  had 
been  so  trampled  in.  The  earl  was  very  sad  when 
he  missed  the  rings,  but  all  search  was  in  vain ; 
they  were  gone. 

They  were  dark  days  that  followed,  for  it  was  a 
hard  winter.  Long  sledges,  heavy  carts  and  the 
sharp  hoofs  of  horses  passed  over  them.  The  rings 
were  pressed  down  deeper  and  deeper,  and  soon 
they  lay  on  the  hard  stone  road.  When  spring 
came  the  snow  melted,  and  vehicles  rattled  over 
the  hard  gravel. 

But  at  last  summer  came,  and  the  snow  was  en- 
tirely gone,  and  the  rain  laid  the  dust  on  the  road. 
A  couple  of  children  were  running  along. 

"  Oh,  look !  "  cried  the  boy,  "  see  what  I  have 
found  !  "  He  picked  up  two  small  shining  bits  of 
glass,  which  plainly  had  once  belonged  together. 
It  was  the  remains  of  the  bit  of  cut-glass.  The 
gold  was  not  to  be  seen ;  that  was  worn  away  by 
the  wheels. 

"  But  just  look  here,"  said  the  girl.  "  See,  this 
is  whole !  " 


THE  DIAMOND   AND  THE   GLASS   BIT.        153 

It  was  the  diamond  she  had  picked  up,  separated 
from  its  setting,  but  whole,  in  spite  of  all  to  which 
it  had  been  exposed. 

"  What  shall  we  do  with  them  ?  "  said  the  boy. 

"  I  shall  string  them  on  a  thread,  to  wear  around 
my  neck  as  a  necklace,"  said  the  girl. 

But  when  they  came  home,  and  their  father,  who 
\v;is  an  intelligent  man,  saw  the  stones,  he  said : 

"  I  will  take  them  with  me  to  the  city ;  perhaps 
the  goldsmith  will  give  us  something  for  them." 

He  wrapped  the  newly-found  stones  in  a  paper, 
which  he  put  in  his  pocket. 

"  This  is  a  fine  way  to  travel !  "  said  the  broken 
glass  bit,  which  could  not  forget  that  it  was  once 
in  company  with  the  court-sweepings. 

When  the  goldsmith  saw  the  stones  he  recognized 
them  at  once. 

"  My  dear  man,  that  was  a  rare  find,"  said  he. 
"  The  earl  at  Ilarg  will  surely  pay  you  a  fine 
reward." 

When  the  earl  heard  that  the  stones  were  found, 
he  came  at  once  to  the  goldsmith's. 

"Here  is  the  diamond,"  said  the  latter.  "See, 
my  lord,  not  a  scratch  on  it,  not  a  speck  broken 
off,  although  hundreds  of  carriages  have  passed 
over  it.  Now  we  will  set  it  in  another  ring,  and 
it  will  be  just  as  fine  as  ever.  But  look  at  this 
bit  of  glass  !  It  has  broken  into  two  pieces,  and  is 
covered  all  over  with  scratches.  Now  one  can  see 


154        THE  DIAMOND  AND   THE   GLASS   BIT. 

the  difference  between  them."  And  upon  this  he 
threw  the  pieces  of  glass  into  the  corner,  with  the 
sweepings,  but  the  diamond  came  upon  the  finger 
of  the  countess,  and  the  two  poor  children  who 
found  the  stone,  received  more  money  than  they 
had  ever  dreamed  of  in  their  lives. 


THE  OLD  MAN,  OLD  WOMAN,  AND  THE 
WINDMILL. 

THERE  was  once  an  old  man  and  an  old  woman, 
and  there  are  many  of  them  —  but  they  could  not 
agree,  and  that  is  not  altogether  unusual,  either. 

When  the  old  man  said  that  anything  was  so 
and  so,  the  old  woman  said  the  contrary ;  and  if 
the  woman  thought  a  raven  was  black,  the  man 
would  then  wager  his  life  on  it  that  it  was  white. 

So  they  wrangled  with  each  other  day  in  and 
day  out,  and  no  one  could  remember  that  they  had 
ever  agreed  about  anything  in  the  world. 

Now  it  so  happened  that  they  had  to  go  to  the 
mill  one  da}',  with  grist.  It  was  a  long  way  there, 
and  a  steep  climb  to  the  mill,  for  it  stood  on  a  high 
hill,  so  it  could  get  good  wind. 

"  You  do  not  pull  at  all,  father,"  said  the  woman. 
"  I  have  to  go  shoving  the  whole  load  alone." 

"  I  do  not  pull ! "  answered  the  man.  "  I  pull  so 
much  that  I  am  bent  double,  but  you  do  not  shove 
for  a  farthing.  I  believe  you  are  hanging  on, 
into  the  bargain." 

But  finally  they  got  the  cart  uphill  and  the  corn 

155 


156   THE   OLD  MAN,   WOMAN  AND  WINDMILL. 

into  the  mill.  After  that  was  done,  they  went  out 
to  look  at  the  wings.  The  wind  blew  fresh  and 
strong,  and  the  wings  turned  so  fast  that  they 
whizzed.  The  old  man  stood  in  front  of  the  mill, 
and  the  old  woman  back  of  it,  so  the  wings  were 
between  them. 

"  They  go  against  the  sun,"  shrieked  the  man, 
who  had  to  speak  loud  to  be  heard. 

"  No,  they  go  with  the  sun,"  shrieked  the  woman. 

"  They  go  against !  "  cried  the  man. 

"  They  go  with  it !  with  it !  "  shouted  the  woman. 

"  You  must  have  your  way,  of  course,"  screamed 
the  man.  "  You  never  give  up,  no  matter  how 
wrong  you  are,"  said  the  woman,  raising  her  voice. 

"  But  can  you  not  see  they  go  against  the  sun  ?  " 
The  man  jumped  up  and  caught  hold  of  a  wing. 

"  Cannot  you  see  anything  at  all ! "  The  woman 
took  hold  of  the  same  wing  from  the  opposite 
direction. 

But  now  the  man  and  woman  were  borne  up 
into  the  air,  for  it  was  useless  to  try  to  hold  the 
mill  wings.  But  after  they  had  gone  up  a  little 
way,  they  let  go,  and  fell  to  the  ground. 

"  Hi !  how  that  hurt !  "  said  the  man. 

"  O,  my  !  how  that  did  hurt !  "  wailed  the  woman. 

Then  they  limped  fiway,  and  for  once  were 
agreed,  but  whether  it  happened  again  is  not  so 
easy  to  say  ;  and  so  this  story  could  not  be  any 
longer. 


GOLDILOCKS. 

WHAT  I  am  about  to  tell  you  happened  long, 
long  ago  —  at  the  time  when  there  were  castles 
with  high  towers  and  strong  walls ;  when  knights 
in  shining  armor,  and  with  a  cross  on  the  shoulder, 
rode  to  the  Saviour's  grave,  to  wrest  it  from  the 
hands  of  unbelievers  ;  when  the  lovely  ladies  of 
the  castle  sewed  with  silk  and  gold  threads,  in  the 
maiden's  bower,  and  rode  beside  the  knights  with 
falcon  on  the  hand,  to  hunt  the  birds  of  the  air 
and  the  beasts  of  the  forest. 

In  one  of  these  castles  there  lived  a  knight,  alone 
witli  his  only  child,  a  daughter. 

When  the  knight  rode  away  with  the  soldiers  of 
the  cross,  his  wife  still  lived,  but  when  he  returned 
from  foreign  lands,  after  many  years  of  battle  and 
adventure,  the  pious  woman  had  gone  to  rest,  and 
only  the  daughter  remained. 

She  was  the  pride  of  the  knight  and  the  apple 
of  his  eye,  and  beautiful  as  a  spring  morning. 
Her  long  light  hair  gleamed  like  gold  around 
IHT  fair  face,  and  for  this  reason  she  was  called 
Goldilocks. 

157 


158  GOLDILOCKS. 

One  day,  when  Goldilocks,  who  was  now  grown 
up,  sat  in  the  maiden's  bower,  she  saw  a  knight 
with  his  followers  ride  by.  He  was  so  handsome 
that  Goldilocks  had  never  seen  any  one  more  beau- 
tiful, and  when  she  inquired  who  he  was,  she  was 
told  that  he  was  a  young  prince  who  lived  in  a 
neighboring  country. 

Day  and  night  she  now  thought  only  of  him, 
and  great  was  her  joy  when  her  father  said  that 
they  were  soon  to  go  and  visit  his  castle.  Goldi- 
locks wished  for  nothing  now  but  to  please  the 
young  prince,  so  he  should  take  her  for  his  bride. 
Early  and  late  she  stood  before  the  mirror,  curled 
her  hair  and  made  herself  the  finest  of  dresses. 
When  she  saw  her  image  in  the  mirror,  she 
thought : 

"  I  am  so  beautiful  that  Valdemar  "  —  that  was 
the  prince's  name  —  "  must  love  me." 

She  was  so  eager  to  look  at  herself  to  see  if  she 
was  beautiful  enough,  that  she  had  a  little  mirror 
made,  which  she  could  carry  in  her  pocket,  so  it 
would  always  be  handy. 

Now  when  she  went  into  the  chapel  one  Sunday, 
to  listen  to  the  holy  mass,  she  put  the  mirror  in 
her  prayerbook,  and  then  when  the  priest  read,  she 
forgot  God  and  his  word,  to  look  at  herself  in  the 
hand-glass,  and  not  till  "  Amen  "  was  pronounced 
and  all  rose  to  go,  did  she  shut  the  glass  into  the 
book. 


GOLDILOCKS.  159 

When  she  came  out  of  the  chapel,  she  spoke  to 
her  father,  but  he  turned  to  her  in  surprise  and 
said  : 

"  What  do  you  wish,  woman  ?  " 

She  did  not  know  what  he  meant  by  these  words, 
but  answered : 

"  What  do  you  mean,  father?" 

"  Audacious  and  wicked  woman !  what  do  you 
want  ?  If  you  do  not  know  how  to  speak  respect- 
fully, I  will  have  the  servants  drive  you  away." 

Goldilocks  did  not  know  what  to  think  of  these 
cruel  words.  Perplexed,  she  cast  down  her  eyes, 
and  then  she  noticed  that  she  no  longer  had  on  the 
kind  of  dress  that  ladies  of  rank  were  accustomed 
to  wear.  Her  clothes  were  coarse  and  torn,  she 
had  a  great  handkerchief,  such  as  peasant  women 
wear,  on  her  head,  and  her  hands  were  rough  with 
work.  When  she  looked  into  a  water  tank  beside 
the  road,  she  could  not  recognize  her  own  face. 
She  was  hideous  to  look  upon,  and  appeared  like  a 
goose  tender  or  swine  herd. 

k>  Where  is  Lady  Goldilocks  ?  "  several  voices  now 
called  out,  because  the  master  of  the  castle  missed 
his  daughter.  "  Where  is  Lady  Goldilocks  ?  " 

"  I  am  Goldilocks,  I  am  Goldilocks,"  replied  she. 

"  You  speak  falsely,"  said  one  of  the  men  ser- 
vants. "  You  look  like  a  witch,  and  perhaps  have 
spirited  away  the  maiden." 

"  Drive  the  old  witch  away  !  drive  the  old  witch 


160  GOLDILOCKS. 

away !  "  cried  several  voices,  and  Goldilocks  was 
driven  away  from  the  castle  with  lashes  and  blows. 

"  If  you  come  back  you  shall  be  burnt  alive, 
you  evil  witch,"  said  the  angry  castle  steward, 
and  Goldilocks  did  not  dare  to  turn  back. 

So  she  went  on,  weeping  hot  tears,  continually 
forward  and  onward,  the  whole  night  and  the  day 
after.  Towards  evening  she  came  to  a  great  castle, 
but  she  was  so  tired  then,  that  she  sank  down  by 
the  wayside.  After  she  had  lain  here  awhile,  she 
heard  a  voice  saying : 

"  Carry  her  into  the  kitchen,  and  give  her  food, 
then  we  will  see  what  is  to  be  done." 

When  Goldilocks  opened  her  eyes,  she  recog- 
nized the  young  prince;  it  was  to  his  castle  she 
had  come. 

Friendly  hands  gave  her  food,  and  in  a  few  days 
her  strength  came  back  again  ;  but  she  did  not  tell 
any  one  her  name  or  who  she  was.  In  order  to 
be  near  the  prince,  she  took  a  place  in  the  service 
of  the  castle  as  shepherdess.  During  the  day 
she  went  with  the  animals  into  the  forest,  but  in 
the  evening  she  placed  herself  outside  of  one  of  the 
castle  windows,  through  which  she  could  see  the 
young  knight  now  and  then,  as  he  related  his  ex- 
ploits in  battle  or  enjoyed  himself  with  his  follow- 
ers. Goldilocks  never  wearied  of  gazing  at  him, 
although  she  could  hardly  get  a  glimpse  from  his 
friendly  eyes  now,  much  less  become  his  bride. 


GOLDILOCKS.  161 

Once  in  a  while  Goldilocks  happened  to  meet 
an  old  woman  in  the  woods,  whose  burdens  she 
helped  to  carry,  and  with  whom  she  often  shared  her 
frugal  repast.  The  old  woman  taught  Goldilocks 
to  recognize  all  the  forest  herbs,  and  explained  the 
uses  of  each,  so  that  the  young  shepherdess  became 
a  skillful  healer,  though  no  one  knew  of  her  skill. 

Sometimes  she  saw  the  prince  ride  by  in  the  for- 
est, hunting  with  his  followers  ;  he  looked  so  stately 
then  on  his  white  courser  and  Goldilocks  often  trem- 
bled when  she  saw  him  climb  before  the  others,  up 
the  mountain  precipices,  over  fallen  trees  or  along 
the  deep  chasms  that  here  and  there  rent  the  ground. 

The  prince  had  a  hunting  castle  in  the  forest, 
where  he  often  passed  the  night  after  a  hunt.  There 
was  great  cheer  when  the  cup  went  around  the 
board  on  which  a  roasted  wild  boar  or  a  horn- 
decked  stag  bent  the  knee ;  and  the  torches'  light 
was  reflected  in  the  polished  armor  with  which  the 
walls  were  covered. 

Goldilocks  knew  the  path  well,  that  led  up  to 
the  little  castle,  and  many  evening  hours  she  passed 
there,  gazing  on  the  young  prince's  face.  She  sat 
on  a  high  stone,  over  which  a  leafy  tree  spread  its 
branches,  so  that  no  one  could  see  the  little  homely 
shepherdess  who  used  to  sit  there  long  after  the 
light  of  the  torches  was  quenched  and  the  hunters 
had  sunk  into  deep  slumber  after  the  day's  fatigues. 

One  night,  when  she  sat  there  in  this  way,  weep- 


162  GOLDILOCKS. 

ing  over  thoughts  of  former  days,  she  saw  a  bright 
light  in  the  windows  of  the  castle.  All  at  once 
flames  burst  out  through  the  roof,  and  Goldilocks 
hurried  down  and  pounded  with  a  stone  on  the 
castle  door  to  wake  up  the  sleepers. 

Waking  in  confusion,  the  knights  and  pages 
sprang  out  of  the  burning  house,  but  the  prince 
was  missing.  No  one  dared  go  in  among  the  roar- 
ing flames  to  save  him.  Then  Goldilocks  hurried 
forward  and  rushed  among  the  falling,  burning 
beams,  to  the  prince's  room,  whose  door  she  burst 
in.  He  lay  senseless  on  the  bed,  nearly  suffocated 
by  the  smoke. 

Goldilocks  never  knew  from  what  source  she  re- 
ceived her  strength,  but  she  took  the  prince  in  her 
arms  and  hurried  out.  The  fire  scorched  her  hair 
and  that  of  the  prince,  burnt  Goldilocks'  hands,  and 
caught  in  her  clothing;  burning  beams  fell  more 
than  once  across  her  way ;  she  came  out,  however, 
but  fell  to  the  ground  instantly,  with  her  burden, 
just  as  the  walls  crushed  in. 

When  she  recovered  consciousness,  she  lay  on  a 
bed  in  the  castle.  Her  wounds  were  soon  healed, 
and  the  prince  came  and  thanked  her  warmly  for 
her  courage  and  her  sacrificing  action.  He  offered 
her  goods  and  gold  in  reward,  but  she  would  take 
nothing,  only  begged  to  be  allowed  to  tend  the 
herds  as  before. 

Every  time  the  prince  rode  past  her  after  this, 


GOLDILOCKS.  163 

he  greeted  her  cheerfully  and  often  spoke  with 
the  "homely  shepherdess,"  as  she  was  called. 
This  pleased  Goldilocks  very  much,  but  when 
she  heard  that  the  knights  and  pages  sometimes 
jested  about  her  hideous  looks,  she  wept  and  bit- 
terly regretted  her  sin. 

One  evening  when  she  came  home,  there  was 
great  confusion  in  the  castle.  The  prince  had  fal- 
len sick,  and  no  one  could  tell  what  kind  of  sick- 
ness it  was.  But  the  old  armor  bearer,  who  had 
be«n  with  the  prince's  father  in  warfare  in  foreign 
lands,  recognized  it  as  "black  death,"  or  the  "  deadly 
pest,"  which  had  seized  the  young  lord. 

Then  the  deepest  terror  fastened  on  the  castle 
inmates,  and  they  all  fled,  except  the  aged  armor 
bearer  and  the  "  homely  shepherdess."  The  latter 
went  into  the  room  Avithout  fear,  and  now  her  knowl- 
edge of  the  forest  herbs  was  useful  to  her.  She 
prepared  healing  draughts,  and  watched  day  and 
night  by  the  pest-smitten  bed. 

Weeks  went  by  and  still  it  was  uncertain  whether 
life  or  death  would  be  -victor.  At  last,  one  morn- 
ing, when  the  sun  rose  and  shone  in  beautifully 
through  the  window  of  the  sick  room,  the  prince 
opened  his  eyes,  which  were  calm  and  clear. 
The  fever  was  gone,  and  he  talked  rationally  with 
tin-  old  armor  bearer,  who  was  watching  while 
Goldilocks  took  a  short  rest. 

The  prince  then  learned  all  that  had  happened : 


164  GOLDILOCKS. 

that  his  friends  and  servants  had  fled,  and  that  the 
shepherdess  had  watched  over  him  and  saved  him 
from  death. 

"  This  is  the  second  time  that  she  has  saved  my 
life,"  said  the  prince. 

When  Goldilocks  came  to  the  bedside,  he  reached 
his  hand  out  to  her. 

"Thank  you,  faithful  little  shepherdess,"  said 
he  ;  "  you  have  saved  my  life  !  " 

Goldilocks'  heart  beat  with  blessed  joy. 

"  Not  I,  but  God,  has  saved  you,  gracious  load," 
said  she. 

The  prince  did  not  reply,  but  held  the  shepherd- 
ess' rough  hand  a  long  time  in  his,  and  looked  into 
her  deep,  dark  eyes,  the  only  remaining  sign  of 
her  former  beauty.  He  remembered  these  eyes; 
he  knew  them  well.  During  his  fever  they  had 
often  looked  lovingly  on  him. 

After  a  few  days  the  prince  was  out  of  danger, 
and  after  a  few  weeks  he  was  able  to  be  up.  Ser- 
vants, knights  and  pages  had  begun  to  come  back, 
and  he  had  no  longer  need  of  Goldilocks'  services. 

One  morning  when  she  came  into  his  room,  she 
said  :  "  Now  you  are  so  well,  gracious  sir,  that  you 
no  longer  need  my  care,  I  am  going  out  into  the 
woods  again." 

"No,  do  not  go,"  said  the  prince,  taking  her 
hand.  "Stay  here.  You  have  twice  saved  my 
life.  I  cannot  spare  you.  Be  my  wife  !  " 


GOLDILOCKS.  165 

The  little  shepherdess  stood  a  long  time  speech- 
less and  bewildered  over  this  happiness.  She  loved 
the  beautiful  prince,  and  he  was  constantly  in  her 
thoughts.  She  reflected  on  her  homeliness,  and 
that  the  prince  would  soon  realize  his  unhappiness 
at  her  side ;  that  he,  who  was  so  fair,  deserved  to 
have  a  different  bride  from  the  homely  shepherdess. 
She  burst  into  tears,  both  of  joy  and  sorrow.  It 
was  so  hard  to  answer  as  she  ought  and  cast  all 
her  life's  happiness  away  from  her.  But  she  said 
to  him : 

"  Gracious  sir,  I  thank  you  for  your  kindness, 
but  I  cannot  be  your  bride.  I  am  not  suited  to 
castle  halls.  I  must  go  again  to  the  forest,  and 
will  be  glad  if  I  can  be  shepherdess  here  as  long 
as  I  live." 

But  when  she  had  said  this  and  was  going,  some- 
thing wonderful  happened.  Scales  seemed  to  fall 
from  her  face  and  hands,  her  hair  waved  long  and 
shining  as  gold,  and  the  ragged  garments  changed 
to  those  she  had  on  in  the  chapel  of  her  father's 
castle. 

"  Who  are  you,  oh,  wonderful,  beautiful  fairy ! 
who  are  you  ?  "  cried  the  prince. 

And  Goldilocks  told  him  all ;  who  her  father 
was,  how  she  had  seen  Prince  Valdemar  ride  by 
her  bower,  how  she  afterwards  thought  about  him, 
sinned  and  was  punished. 

"But  now  there  is  nothing  to  hinder  you  from 


166  GOLDILOCKS. 

giving  me  your  hand,"  said  the  prince,  "  and  be- 
coming my  wife." 

"  First  we  must  go  home  to  my  father's  castle," 
said  Goldilocks,  and  smiled  on  the  prince,  who  took 
her  in  his  arms,  and  put  a  costly  ring  on  her  hand  ; 
then  they  rode  side  by  side  on  splendid  coursers, 
to  Goldilocks'  home,  while  a  large  troop  of  knights, 
armor  bearers  and  pages  followed  in  their  train. 

Beside  the  road  sat  a  blackbird  in  a  tree  and 
sang  :  "  Three  times,  three  times,  three  times  !  " 

"•  What  does  the  blackbird  say  ?  "  asked  Goldi- 
locks jestingly  of  her  bridegroom. 

"  He  says,"  answered  Valdemar,  "  that  you  were 
proven  three  times  ;  first,  when  you  bore  me  from 
the  burning  hunting  castle ;  second,  when  you 
nursed  me  while  I  was  sick  with  the  pest,  and  the 
third  time,  when  I  asked  the  shepherdess  to  be  my 
bride  and  she  refused.  But  which  test  was  the 
hardest?" 

"  Last  hardest,  last  hardest,  last  hardest !  "  re- 
plied the  blackbird. 

"  He  is  right,  the  last  was  the  hardest,"  said 
Goldilocks,  smiling  on  him. 

In  the  father's  castle  there  was  such  surprise  and 
rejoicing  when  the  only  daughter  returned  as  one 
from  the  dead  that  words  cannot  describe  it.  And 
then  there  was  a  wedding,  whose  equal  was  never 
seen  in  seven  kingdoms,  and  Goldilocks  and  Prince 
Valdemar  lived  happy  all  their  days. 


WHEN  THE  SUN  RISES. 

IT  was  evening;  yes,  dark  night  in  the  forest. 
The  sun  had  long  since  gone  down ;  every  one  had 
gone  to  his  dwelling;  the  animals  had  sought  their 
resting  places  in  the  underbrush,  and  the  birds  had 
crept  into  their  nests.  Only  the  owls,  bats  and 
moles  remained  out.  Down  by  the  edge  of  the 
marsh,  where  glow-worms,  jack-a-lanterns  and  tire- 
flies  spread  a  dim  light  about,  the  lovers  of  the 
night  were  gathered. 

"  I  wonder  how  it  would  be  if  we  did  not  exist?  " 
said  the  glow-worm. 

"  The  sun  might  as  well  hide  himself  forever," 
the  jack-a-lanterii  thought.  "  We  give  much 
better  light.  No  one  gets  a  pain  in  the  eyes  look- 
ing at  us." 

"  I  agree  with  you,"  joined  the  owl,  "  the  sun 
shines  altogether  too  strong ;  I  cannot  bear  him. 
And  then  there  is  such  a  disturbance  in  the  woods 
when  he  rises !  Bullfinches,  sparrows,  larks,  and 
whatever  they  all  are,  then  begin,  Heaven  pro- 
tect us  !  to  bawl  with  all  their  might.  No,  he  can 
just  as  well  stay  away." 

167 


168  WHEN  THE   SUN   EISES. 

"Neither  can  I  discover  of  what  use  that  sun- 
shine is,"  said  the  firefly.  "  For  that  reason,  neither 
I  nor  any  of  my  family  will  honor  him  with  our 
presence,  so  we  leave  the  instant  he  appears." 

"  One  could  certainly  do  very  well  without  the 
sun,"  said  the  mole.  "  Suppose  we  should  frighten 
him  away  when  he  tries  to  peak  over  the  tree  tops 
in  the  forest." 

"  I  will  do  what  I  can  towards  it,"  said  the  owl ; 
"  I  will  screech  the  loudest  I  am  able." 

"  And  we  three,"  said  the  firefly,  flitting  between 
the  jack-a-lantern  and  glow-worm,  "  we  will  shine 
in  a  way  that  he  has  never  seen  equaled.  Then 
we  shall  see,  fast  enough,  if  he  dares  mount  up  as 
haughtily  as  usual." 

"  My  assistance  shall  not  be  wanting,"  said  the 
mole,  "  especially  as  I  am  the  originator  of  the 
idea.  I  will  throw  up  such  a  sand  hill,  that  he 
never  will  be  able  to  shine  over  it."  And  then  he 
began  to  scratch  and  dig  with  all  his  might,  with 
his  front  paws. 

"  We  will  spread  out  our  wings,"  said  the  bat, 
"  so  he  cannot  send  a  ray  down  to  the  earth." 

And  the  bats  spread  out  their  wings,  the  mole 
dug,  the  fireflies  and  glow-worms  shone  with  all 
their  might.  High  up  on  a  great  rock  sat  the 
owl  and  rapped  with  his  crooked  bill. 

"  There  will,  indeed,  be  a  new  order  of  things 
here,"  said  he.  "  Sing  now,  you  gaping  birds ! 


WHEN   THE  SUN   EISES.  169 

leap,  you  hares  and  roes!  I  wish  you  joy,  you 
flowers!  I  think  your  rejoicing  will  be  more 
moderate  now." 

The  sky  began  to  redden  in  the  east,  and  the 
color  grew  stronger  and  brighter  every  minute. 
The  three  lights  strained  with  all  their  might,  the 
mole  dug,  the  bat  spread  out  its  wings,  and  the 
owl  screeched  continually. 

But  the  sun  mounted  up  and  poured  a  film  of 
gleaming  gold  over  land  and  water.  The  small 
lights  at  the  marsh's  edge  went  out  immediately, 
the  mole  crept  into  its  hole,  the  bat  and  owl  hid 
themselves  in  the  thickest  brush. 

But  the  waves  of  fresh  morning  air,  the  flowers' 
fragrance  and  the  birds'  exulting  voices,  announced 
to  all  the  world,  that  the  sun  had  risen ! 


THE  SWALLOWS. 

"Quivitt,  quitt,  quivitt,"  sang  they.  It  was  the 
swallow  father  and  swallow  mother,  who  had  come 
home  again  after  their  long  journey ;  come  home 
in  the  spring  time  to  put  in  order  their  old  nest 
that  rested  under  the  eaves.  It  had  rested  there 
for  many,  many  years,  so  long,  that  no  one  could 
remember  back  so  far.  The  old  overseer,  who  was 
not  able  to  do  any  more  work,  and  was  the  eldest 
person  in  the  parish,  could  not  remember  the  day 
when  the  swallows'  nest  did  not  rest  there. 

The  family  on  the  estate  were  so  afraid  some- 
thing would  harm  it.  "  Take  care  of  the  old  swal- 
lows' nest,"  said  they  to  the  workmen,  when  the 
building  was  being  repaired.  And  so  the  nest 
had  remained  there  for  an  age,  and  pair  after  pair 
of  swallows  had  had  it  for  their  summer  home. 

The  swallows  thought  they  belonged  to  the 
family,  too,  and  said  "  we "  when  they  spoke  of 
the  people  in  the  mansion,  and  "  our  "  when  they 
spoke  of  any  of  the  children,  so  that  one  could  not 
know  whether  they  meant  themselves,  or  the  young 
ladies  of  the  family  or  their  own  young  ones.  But 

170 


THE   SWALLOWS.  171 

that  made  no  difference ;  it  only  showed  that  the 
swallows  thought  a  good  deal  of  the  people  in  the 
house ;  and  they  were  quite  right,  because  they 
were  one. 

The  years  went  by  and  the  young  girls  —  the 
people  who  owned  the  place  had  no  sons  —  grew 
up  to  young  ladies,  but  the  swallows  thought  just 
as  much  of  them  for  that.  They  had  seen  them 
grow  up,  they  had  seen  them  daily  all  through  the 
summer,  and  when  the  young  ladies  sat  with  their 
parents  in  the  porch,  the  swallows  peeped  down  at 
them  from  the  old  nest. 

"  Quitter, quitter — vitt"  said  the  swallows,  and 
the  young  ladies  repeated  it,  because  they  had 
learned  to  know  the  swallows;  so  they  spoke  to 
each  other,  and  although  the  ladies  could  not 
understand  the  swallows'  language,  they  could  hear 
perfectly  well  whether  the  birds  were  sad  or  happy. 
"  See !  what  shrewd  and  beautiful  eyes  they 
have,"  said  one  of  the  sisters ;  "  I  should  recognize 
them  among  a  hundred  other  swallows."  She 
stretched  out  her  hand  ;  the  swallow  did  not  wish 
to  sit  down,  but  it  flew  so  near  that  it  nearly 
brushed  the  snow-white  fingers  with  its  long,  soft 
wings. 

But  one  spring  when  the  swallows  came  back, 
the  young  ladies  were  dressed  in  black,  and  looked 
very  sad.  When  they  saw  the  two  swallows,  how- 
ever, they  smiled. 


172  THE   SWALLOWS. 

"It  is  so  sad  here  now,  little  swallows,"  said  one, 
and  the  little  birds  understood  so  well,  although 
people  think  that  swallows  cannot  understand 
human  talk.  "  It  is  so  sad  here  now,  because 
father  and  mother  have  died.  We  must  soon  go 
far  from  here,  too  —  far  away  to  the  South.  Fare- 
well, little  birds ! " 

The  two  young  ladies  stepped  into  a  carriage, 
and  then  traveled  by  railroad  and  by  steamer,  and 
went  at  a  rapid  pace  far  away  to  the  land  where 
the  sun  shines  so  warmly  and  no  winter  comes, 
and  the  trees  are  alwaj^s  covered  with  green  leaves. 
Everything  there  was  luxurious  and  splendid,  com- 
pared to  the  cold  North. 

There  the  two  sisters  lived  for  a  year,  then 
two  years,  and  as  time  went  on,  the  memory  of 
their  native  land  up  in  the  North  faded  away. 

A  steward  had  come  upon  their  estate,  who  was 
cruel  towards  the  people  and  friendly  to  none. 

"  Next  summer  I  will  clear  up  here,"  said  he. 
"  All  the  old  swallow  nests  shall  be  torn  down ; 
they  only  deface  the  house." 

"But  the  beloved  family  thought  so  much  of 
the  swallows,  and  the  young  ladies  were  so  care- 
ful of  their  nest,"  replied  the  aged  overseer. 

"  Nonsense !  what  difference  does  that  make  to 
me?"  said  the  steward.  "I  command  here  now." 

The  swallows  heard,  also,  what  was  said,  as  they 
sat  in  the  nest.  They  were  so  grieved,  and  the 


THE   SWALLOWS.  173 

young  ones,  which  had  lately  gotten  their  first 
small  feathers,  felt  sad,  too. 

"  What  shall  we  do  now  ?  "  asked  the  swallow 
mother.  "  Shall  we  plead  with  the  steward  ?  " 

"  That  will  not  help  us,"  answered  the  swallow 
father,  and  he  stood  upon  one  leg,  for  he  could 
think  better  so,  and  then  he  deliberated  awhile. 

"  We  will  seek  out  our  young  ladies  and  beg 
them  to  come  home,"  said  he. 

"  Ah  !  that  was  a  clever  idea,"  thought  the  swal- 
low mother,  and  the  young  ones. 

When  the  swallow  children  were  ready  to  fly, 
they  set  out  with  their  father  and  mother.  But  it 
was  not  easy  to  find  the  young  ladies,  for  the  world 
is  large.  They  flew  around  and  sought  them  for 
nine  or  ten  days,  but  in  vain. 

On  the  thirtieth  day,  along  towards  evening, 
they  heard  voices  that  they  recognized  with  joy 
again  ;  yes,  it  was  their  young  ladies. 

"  Quirrevivitt !  quirrevivitt !  "  said  the  swallows, 
and  seated  themselves  right  beside  their  friends 
from  the  far  north. 

"  Oh !  look,  listen,"  said  one  of  the  sisters, 
"  these  are  the  swallows  from  old  Sweden  —  from 
our  home." 

"  From  Sweden,"  exclaimed  the  sister,  and  they 
throw  their  arms  around  each  other.  The  faded 
memories  received  life  and  color.  The  old  home 
land  with  its  lakes  and  dark  forests,  with  the  green 


174  THE   SWALLOWS. 

fields  and  the  white  church  towers,  sprung  to  life 
before  them ;  their  hearts  beat  quickly  and  their 
eyes  filled  with  tears. 

"  Quirrevivitt,  quirrevivitt,  vitt,  vitt !  "  sang  the 
swallows. 

"  We  will  go  home,  yes,  to  Sweden,  to  Sweden," 
cried  the  sisters  in  one  breath. 

They  journeyed  hastily  towards  the  north,  and 
soon  they  stood  again  on  the  old  familiar  soil  that 
had  been  their  forefathers'  home. 

There  was  gladness  and  joy  over  their  return, 
among  both  great  and  small. 

"  Shall  we  tear  down  the  swallows'  nest  ?  "  said 
the  steward,  for  he  dared  not  do  it  now,  without 
asking. 

"  The  swallows'  nest,"  replied  the  ladies,  and 
looted  so  astonished.  "  No ;  that  shall  be  well 
protected,  because  it  is  the  swallows  that  called  us 
home."  And  the  swallows'  nest  was  allowed  to 
remain,  and  sits  there  even  to  this  day. 


A  MOTHER'S   LOVE. 

WHEN  St.  Peter  was  out  wandering  on  this  earth, 
he  stood  still  awhile,  one  day,  on  a  high  mountain, 
from  which  he  could  see  the  whole  country  around. 
Right  down  by  the  mountain  ran  a  road  to  church, 
and  as  it  was  one  Sunday  morning,  the  road  was 
full  of  people  going  to  God's  house. 

While  St.  Peter  stood  there  and  rejoiced  that  the 
people  were  so  devout,  the  Evil  One  came,  because 
he  has  no  respect  for  persons  or  places. 

"  You  stand  here  looking  very  happy,"  said  the 
Evil  One,  and  laughed  scornfully;  "and  yet  you 
must  know  that  no  one  of  those  down  there  can 
withstand  me." 

Then  St.  Peter  also  smiled,  but  it  was  a  good 
smile,  and  he  pointed  to  a  woman,  who  went  by  at 
that  instant,  with  her  son. 

"  There  you  see  a  mother,"  said  he.  "  I  know 
that  she  is  a  widow,  and  the  youth  there  is  her 
only  child.  There  does  not  appear  to  be  so  much 
strength  about  her,  tired  out  as  she  is,  with  toil 
and  sorrow  ;  and  yet  she  is  stronger  than  you ; 
for  you  have  not  power  to  separate  her  from 

175 


176  A  MOTHER'S  LOVE. 

her  child  —  you  could  not  conquer  a  mother's 
love." 

Then  the  Evil  One's  eyes  shone  as  coals  of  lire 
do  in  the  darkness.  "  Can  I  not !  "  exclaimed  he. 
"  Cannot  I,  who  am  so  strong,  be  able  to  van- 
quish a  weak  woman  ?  You  shall  soon  see." 

Away  went  the  Evil  One,  to  carry  out  his  wicked 
intentions,  and  St.  Peter  wandered  further. 

Awhile  after  this  the  widow's  son  was  away,  no 
one  knew  where,  but  the  mother  went  out  in  the 
great  world  and  wandered  day  and  night.  She  in- 
quired of  the  people  she  met,  she  asked  the  birds 
and  the  winds  of  heaven  about  her  son,  and  never 
wearied  of  searching.  Here  and  there  she  received 
an  answer  which  put  her  on  the  track,  and  finally 
she  came  far  up  toward  the  Poles,  where  perpetual 
cold  prevails.  Here  she  found  her  son,  but  snow 
and  hard  ice  covered  him  all  over.  Then  the  poor 
widow,  whose  feet  bled  from  the  journey  over  sharp 
stones,  whose  limbs  trembled  from  fatigue  and  hun- 
ger, took  the  ice-covered  one  to  her  bosom,  and  with 
the  warm,  beating  heart  and  hot  tears  melted  the 
ice  and  the  lost  child  was  once  more  her  own. 

It  was  Sunday  again,  and  St.  Peter  stood  on  the 
mountain  and  the  Evil  One  came  also. 

"Now  you  can  see,"  said  he,  and  smiled  his  evil 
smile.  But  at  the  same  time  St.  Peter  stretched 
out  his  hand  and  pointed  to  the  widow,  who  passed 
with  her  newly-found  son,  to  God's  house. 


A  MOTHER'S  LOVE.  177 

The  Evil  One  turned  pale,  but  it  was  not  pallor 
for  his  guilty  action,  but  because  it  had  not  suc- 
ceeded. And  he  went  away. 

Soon  after,  the  widow's  son  was  no  more  at  home, 
and  the  mother  went  out  again  to  seek  him.  This 
time  she  wandered  further  than  before,  and  inquired 
still  more.  Often  she  came  near  sinking  down, 
crushed  by  the  hardships  of  the  journey,  with  bitter 
grief  and  anguish  of  heart. 

At  last  she  came  to  a  prison,  where  great  crim- 
inals were  secured,  and  her  son  was  here. 

"  Let  me  come  in,"  begged  she. 

"  Poor  mother,"  said  he  who  had  charge  over 
the  prisoners,  "  do  not  go  there  !  He  is  wild  and 
hardened  ;  he  will  kill  you  if  you  go  near  him.  Do 
not  attempt  it." 

But  the  mother  pleaded  so  earnestly  that  no  one 
could  oppose  her,  and  she  was  let  in. 

She  threw  herself  on  her  son's  breast,  but  he 
cast  her  from  him  ;  he  struck  her  so  she  fell 
senseless  and  was  borne  out.  But  she  came  again 
and  again ;  she  pleaded  and  wept,  folding  the 
unfortunate  one  in  her  arms  at  the  same  time, 
although  every  time  he  cast  her  from  him. 

One  day  he  threw  himself  angrily  on  his  hard 
bed,  in  order  to  sleep  and  get  rid  of  hearing  her 
"  miserable  noise,"  as  he  called  it.  But  when  he 
awoke,  there  stood  his  mother  holding  her  ker- 
chief before  the  little  grated  window,  so  the  sun 


178  A  MOTHER'S  LOVE. 

should  not  shine  into  the  suffocating  cell  and  dis- 
turb his  sleep.  And  she  sang  softly  one  of  the 
old  psalms,  to  the  sound  of  which  he  had  often 
slumbered  and  awaked.  Then  tears  began  to 
flow  over  his  cheeks,  and  he  kneeled  before  his 
mother,  hid  his  face  in  her  lap,  and  wept  like  a 
child  —  wept  so  his  whole  body  shook  ;  wept  long. 

When  he  finally  rose  he  was  crushed,  repentant, 
but  he  was  once  more  his  mother's  son. 

And  the  king  of  the  country,  to  whom  the 
mother  went  with  warm  prayers,  had  heard  all ; 
how  she  had  striven,  struggled  and  suffered,  and 
he  gave  her  back  her  child. 

On  the  mountain  by  the  church  stood  St.  Peter, 
and  looked  at  the  people.  As  before,  the  Evil 
One  came  there  and  laughed  his  malicious  laugh. 

"  Indeed  !  "  said  he,  "  where  are  your  widow  and 
her  son  now  ?  " 

"  There,"  said  the  holy  man,  pointing  to  where 
the  mother  and  the  son  again  wandered  together 
on  the  road  which  led  to  the  little  white  temple  on 
the  hill. 

"Ah!  now  I  shall  try  the  last  means,"  said 
the  Evil  One,  "  and  you  will  never  after  see  them 
together." 

Soon  the  mother  had  to  go  out  again  to  seek 
her  son.  She  wandered  the  world  over ;  she 
sought  in  the  lands  where  the  sun  burns  like  fire 
on  the  wanderer's  head ;  she  searched  among  the 


A  MOTHER'S  LOVE.  179 

polar  icebergs,  in  the  homes  of  poverty  and  of 
wealth,  in  dens  of  crime  and  among  the  seekers  of 
the  temple,  but  all  was  in  vain.  The  wounded 
feet  bore  her  up  with  pain,  the  emaciated  form 
could  scarcely  remain  upright,  but  forward,  for- 
ward she  stumbled  unceasingly.  Finally  she  had 
been  everywhere  she  could  think  of,  where  her 
son  might  be,  but  her  anxious  heart  would  not 
allow  her  to  stay.  So  she  went  down  towuids 
the  sea,  whose  low  and  sandy  shores  spread  as  far 
as  eye  could  reach. 

When  she  looked  at  the  grains  of  sand,  she 
thought  some  of  them  seemed  very  peculiar ;  she 
took  up  one,  then  took  up  several.  She  knew  not 
why,  but  a  tremor  of  hope  began  to  fill  her  soul. 
She  searched  day  and  night,  by  sunlight  and  star- 
light, and  wandered  year  after  year  along  the 
shore,  till  one  day  she  had  been  around  the  whole 
ocean,  and  had  gathered  every  grain  of  sand  that 
was  like  the  one  she  had  first  picked  up.  It  was  a 
heavy,  heavy  burden ;  but  when  all  the  grains  were 
together  and  the  woman  spread  them  on  a  beauti- 
ful soft  grass  plot  near  the  shore,  they  began  to 
move  mysteriously  and  to  place  themselves  in  the 
form  of  a  figure,  which  became  more  and  more  like 
a  man,  then  took  the  son's  likeness,  then  breathed 
and  had  life ;  it  was  the  widow's  lost,  but  newly- 
found  son. 

The    Evil  One  had  crushed  him  to  the  finest 


180  A  MOTHER'S  LOVE. 

sand,  and  cast  the  grains  along  all  the  shores  of 
the  sea.  And  if  only  one  —  even  the  least  grain  — 
had  been  missing  he  could  never  have  taken  the 
form  of  man  again  ;  never  been  restored  to  life. 
But  the  searching  mother  had  not  forgotten  the 
least  atom  ;  nothing  had  escaped  her  searching 
eyes,  her  trembling  hands,  her  loving  heart. 

Once  more  it  was  Sunday,  and  on  the  mount- 
ain St.  Peter  stood,  as  many  times  before,  and 
the  Evil  One  came,  too.  People  were  on  their 
way  to  church  ;  the  crowd  was  larger  than  usual. 

"  Look,"  said  the  Evil  One,  "  this  time  the  widow 
has  not  been  able  to  find  her  son." 

"  Down  there  you  see  a  casket,"  said  St.  Peter, 
"  and  right  behind  it  a  man  is  walking.  The  man 
is  the  son;  in  the  casket  rests  the  mother,  who 

died  when  she  finally  recovered  her  son.  But 
even  in  death  she  conquered ;  love  has  overcome 

you." 

Then  the  Evil  One  laughed  no  more  scornfully. 

"  Is  love  so  strong,  so  mighty,  that  it  conquers  all 

things  ?  "  he  asked. 

His  heart,  where  all  evil,  all  sorrow,  all  anguish 

are  gathered,  burned,  and  his  eyes  flamed  like  fire. 

He    went   away  with   slow  steps,  while  the  sun 

shone,    and   the   birds    sang   in    the    neighboring 

forests.     But   from  the  little  church  below  there 

sounded  the  funeral  bell,  and  in  St.  Peter's  eyes 

there  shone  tears  of  joy. 


FROM  THE  GROVE. 

OUT  in  the  grove  it  was  still  and  quiet  as  the 
grave.  Long  spider  webs  hung  from  branch  to 
branch,  unmoved  by  the  wind,  for  he  had  not  vis- 
ited the  forest  for  a  long,  long  time.  The  brook 
flowed  slowly  on ;  and  for  this  reason  a  thick 
mass  of  half-moulded  leaves  and  other  rubbish  lay 
on  its  surface,  so  the  sun  and  sky  could  not  mirror 
themselves  in  its  waters.  The  grass  grew  thinly, 
the  flowers  hung  their  heads,  and  the  leaves  of  the 
trees  drooped.  The  birds  that  came  hither  sat  per- 
fectly silent,  and  if  a  butterfly  happened  to  wander 
to  the  place,  it  flew  terrified  away  again  and  never 
returned. 

Here  in  the  deep  bushes  the  owl  mother  and 
father,  together  with  their  friends  —  and  they  are 
many  —  had  their  nests  and  were  very  comfortable 
in  the  darkness.  The  mole  ruled  the  place  like  a 
lord.  No  sun  rays  penetrated  down  through  the 
cobwebs,  dust  and  dry  leaves,  and  so  it  perfectly 
suited  him  and  the  owls  and  leeches. 

In  the  midst  of  the  grove  stood  an  oak  ;  it  was 
not  large,  but  the  roots  and  branches  were  tough, 

181 


182  FROM  THE  GROVE. 

so  it  raised  itself  at  last  to  the  top,  over  the  other 
trees. 

One  morning  when  the  sun  rose,  a  blackbird  sat 
in  the  top  of  the  oak,  and  he  began  to  sing  his 
lovely  song  about  God  and  freedom,  sun  and  light. 

"  Oh !  hear,",  said  the  flowers,  and  lifted  their 
heads,  which  reddened  with  pleasure. 

"  Hi  and  hey  !  oh,  hear !  oh,  hear !  "  laughed  the 
brook,  and  jumped  so  that  the  rubbish  that  lay  on 
its  bed  and  surface  slid  away. 

"  Listen,  listen,"  sighed  the  leaves,  and  trembled 
with  joy. 

"  Dear  friend,  is  it  thou  ?  dear,  is  it  thou  ? " 
sang  the  wind,  and  rushed  forward  between  the 
branches  and  leaves,  so  the  cobwebs  were  rent  ia 
a  thousand  bits,  and  the  dry  limbs  fell  to  the  ground. 
It  became  so  fresh  and  lovely  among  the  tree  trunks 
because  the  air  grew  pure,  and  the  suffocating 
vapors  were  borne  far,  far  away.  Every  bud  and 
blade  started  ;  all  was  rushing  life ;  there  was 
exulting  and  gladness  in  the  grove,  and  in  the  oak 
the  blackbird  sat  and  sang 


"  See  how  good  our  God  is; 
See  how  blue  the  heaven ; 
How  beautiful  the  world  is ; 
Feel,  so  warm  the  sun's  rays ; 
Freedom,  dearest  treasure 
By  our  Father  given, 
I  will  sing  thy  praise ! " 


FROM  THE   GROVE.  183 

Down  in  the  earth  in  the  moles'  caves  and  corri- 
dors, it  was  also  lively — yes,  a  perfect  hubbub. 

"  Have  you  ever  heard,"  said  the  moles  to  each 
other,  "  such  a  fearful  noise  as  that  is  ?  The  wind 
is  blowing  through  the  grove,  and  the  air  will  soon 
be  so  sharp  up  there,  that  an  honest  mole  can 
scarcely  breathe." 

"Yes,"  continued  another,  "if  it  goes  on  like 
this  the  sun  will  shine  into  every  corner,  and  then 
what  shall  we  do  ?  " 

"  The  whole  thing  is  the  blackbird's  fault,"  cried 
all  to  each  other. 

"  Could  the  owl  father  and  owl  mother  not  eat 
him  up  ?  "  asked  some  one. 

"  They  have  tried,  they  have  tried ;  but  it  was 
so  sunny  up  there  in  the  oak  —  all  the  spider  webs 
and  dry  leaves  were  blown  away  —  it  was  so  sunny 
that  they  got  frightened  and  flew  away.  Now 
they  are  hiding  out  in  the  forest  and  dare  not  go 
up  there  again." 

"  Oh !  how  wretched,  how  wretched,"  and  they 
scratched  their  heads. 

Then  the  old  mole  commanded  silence ;  he  was 
the  most  distinguished  in  the  kingdom  of  moles, 
and  had  been  ruler  in  the  grove  up  to  this  time. 

"  Go  and  forbid  the  blackbird  to  sing,  at  the 
peril  of  being  in  disgrace  ;  command  the  grass, 
flowers,  brook  and  trees  —  and  everything  else  up 
there  —  to  shut  their  ears  to  the  singing.  Tell 


184  FROM   THE   GROVE. 

the  spiders  to  spin  again,  and  take  care  that  the 
old  order  of  things  comes  back."  So  spoke  the  old 
mole,  then  tried  to  take  a  nap,  in  spite  of  the  life 
and  jubilation  that  sounded  above. 

In  a  short  time  they  came  screaming  back. 

"  Oh !  it  is  a  vain  effort,"  they  complained. 
"  Some  of  them  will  scarcely  listen  to  us,  and  those 
who  gave  us  their  attention  for  awhile,  laughed  at 
us.  There  is  such  fresh  air,  such  sunlight  and 
greenness,  and  such  singing  up  there,  that  we 
nearly  perished." 

The  old  mole  sat  silent  awhile.  Then  an  idea 
occurred  to  him. 

"  We  will  gnaw  off  the  roots  of  the  oak,"  said 
he,  "  so  the  blackbird  will  not  have  any  safe  place 
to  sit,  and  then  he  will  fly  away.  And  when  the 
oak  falls,  his  nest,  his  mate,  and  the  young  black- 
birds will  come  to  the  ground,  and  we  will  eat 
them  up." 

After  this  remark  there  followed  a  general  pip- 
ing and  mumbling,  which  was  to  express  hearty 
applause.  All  the  moles  licked  their  mouths  at 
thought  of  the  blackbird  steak.  And  they  betook 
themselves  in  a  body  to  the  place  where  the  roots 
of  the  oak  were,  and  began  to  gnaw,  and  they  are 
still  at  it  to-day. 

But  when  they  bit  off  one  root,  ten  other  roots 
would  instantly  grow  out  of  the  same  place,  so 
the  tree  stood  firmer  and  firmer. 


FROM   THE    GROVE.  185 

But  they  did  not  notice  it  down  there  in  the  twi- 
light, but  gnawed  and  gnawed  constantly. 

Higher  and  higher  the  oak  and  the  other  trees 
raise  their  crowns,  and  tranquilly  rocks  the  black- 
bird's nest  on  the  strong  boughs.  The  grove  grows 
lovelier  all  the  time,  fresher  and  freer  stream  life 
and  freedom  on,  and  the  sun,  the  blue  heavens,  and 
the  gleaming  stars  mirror  themselves  in  the  brook's 
pure,  clear  waters.  And  in  the  oak  top  the  black- 
bird sings : 

"  See  how  good  our  God  is; 
See  how  blue  the  heaven; 
How  beautiful  the  world  is ; 
Feel,  so  warm  the  sun's  rays ; 
Freedom,  dearest  treasure 
By  our  Father  given, 
I  will  sing  thy  praise." 


HOW  GRANNAS-NILS  BECAME  SUCH  A 
HERO. 

BEFORE  this  Grannas-Nils  had  not  had  a  reputa- 
tion for  being  a  stout  man,  either  in  courage  or 
his  arms. 

When  he  had  to  go  out  in  the  dark  to  give  the 
horses  food,  he  would  have  at  least  a  farm  boy 
with  him,  and  when  it  was  to  be  proved  who  was 
the  stronger,  he  kept  out  of  the  way,  as  you  shall 
soon  hear.  But  no  one  can  tell  what  people  will 
do  before  they  are  tested,  and  it  was  so  with 
Grannas-Nils,  too. 

It  was  towards  Christmas-time,  and  the  master 
of  the  house  had  errands  to  the  city  after  one 
thing  and  another;  and  as  Nils  took  care  of  the 
horses,  he  had  to  go,  of  course. 

Now  he  was  a  little  cast  down  in  spirits,  for  a 
rumor  had  spread  that  two  thieves  had  broken 
loose  and  roamed  in  the  neighborhood,  so  Nils 
would  gladly  have  left  the  city  by  daylight,  of 
course,  but  that  could  not  be,  for  he  wanted  to  take  • 
home  a  cask  of  "  weak  drink,"  and  it  would  not 
be  ready  before  evening.  But  when  Nils  had  got 

186 


HOW   GRANNAS-KILS   BECAME  A  HERO.      187 

the  Christmas  drink  bound  fast  to  his  sleigh,  he 
had  everything  in  order,  and  drove  out  through 
the  toll-gate. 

There  he  sat  on  the  load,  and  it  grew  darker  and 
darker.  When  he  came  to  the  forest  it  was  black 
as  coal,  but  the  snow  was  so  white  that  he  could 
find  his  way,  however. 

Now  Nils  thought  gloomy  things  and  grew  so 
frightened  that  he  thought  he  saw  a  robber  in  every 
bush,  who  longed  for  his  life  and  load.  He 
whipped  up  the  horses,  and  they  galloped  along 
the  road  till  he  came  to  a  place  where  high  mount- 
ains rose  on  both  sides.  Here  two  beggars  were 
walking  along,  but  Nils  did  not  see  what  kind  of 
folks  they  were,  but  thought  they  were  the  thieves, 
and  their  canes  looked  exactly  like  guns  or  other 
fatal  weapons. 

But  as  the  man  was  obliged  to  keep  on,  he  gave 
the  horses  a  cut,  so  they  went  ahead  still  faster ;  and 
then  it  happened  that  just  as  he  was  opposite  the 
beggars,  the  bung  flew  out  of  the  beer  cask  with 
a  dreadful  explosion,  because  the  drink  had  begun 
to  work. 

But  Nils  thought  they  were  shooting  at  him,  and 
could  not  believe  it  was  anything  but  blood  that 
was  running  when  he  heard  the  Christmas  drink 
splashing.  He  expected  to  die  every  minute,  and 
so  he  drove  as  if  his  life  depended  on  it.  When 
he  at  last  came  home,  and  found  he  was  alive, 


188      HOW   GK  ANNAS-NILS   BECAME  A  HERO. 

he  began  to  recover  himself.  But  he  was  sure  he 
had  been  pursued  by  two  robbers. 

When  he  came  into  the  kitchen  he  told  how  he 
had  been  out,  and  that  robbers  had  attacked  both 
his  life  and  load,  and  shot  at  him  so  the  balls 
whistled  by  his  ears.  But  he  had  defended  him- 
self like  a  man,  and  had  arrived  safely  home  with 
everything. 

It  so  happened  that  the  sheriff  arrested  the  two 
thieves  the  next  day  after  Grannas-Nils  was  out, 
and  then  it  was  plain  that  Nils  spoke  the  truth. 
Yes,  one  could  see  blood  tracks  on  the  road  —  it 
was  the  "  weak  drink  "  that  had  run  out  —  and  the 
tracks  followed  the  sledge  a  long  way,  and  one 
could  see  by  them  that  the  bandits  had  followed 
Nils  a  long  distance,  the  sheriff  said.  The  strangest 
thing  was,  the  thieves  had  not  a  single  scratch  on 
them,  from  which  the  blood  could  have  flowed,  and 
they  would  not  own  that  they  had  met  the  servant 
on  the  road,  but  that  was  nothing  to  go  by,  for 
such  folks  are  so  sly  and  will  never  tell  the  truth, 
said  the  sheriff. 

But  the  talk  about  Nils  and  his  bravery  spread 
far  and  wide,  and  a  little  was  added  here,  and  a 
little  there,  so  it  became  a  perfect  feat  of  war  he 
had  performed ;  and  his  bravery  was  not  shown  in 
vain. 

One  day  the  minister  sent  a  special  message  to 
Grannas-Nils  to  come  to  church  the  next  Sunday. 


HOW   GH  ANNAS-NILS   BECAME  A  HERO.      189 

Of  coui-se  Nils  went,  and  after  the  service  was 
over,  the  minister  came  forward  in  the  church,  and 
made  a  most  unusually  beautiful  speech  about 
courage  and.  God's  help  in  time  of  trouble,  so  the 
women  wept  and  long  before  the  minister  told  the 
name,  everybody  knew  it  was  Nils  to  whom  he 
referred. 

After  he  had  finished  he  took  up  a  medal  which 
hung  on  a  fine  ribbon ;  the  whole  thing  had  come 
from  the  king  himself,  and  it  was  now  hung  around 
Nils's  neck,  so  people  should  see  what  sort  of  a 
pei-son  Nils  was,  for  it  said  on  it  that  the  brave 
servant  honestly  earned  it. 

But  the  poor  beggars  knew  nothing  of  it,  and 
the  "  weak  drink  "  cask  could  not  speak. 

And  that  is  the  way  Grannas-Nils  became  such 
a  hero. 


AT  THE  MOLE'S   COURT. 

AUTUMN  had  gone  and  winter  begun.  The  wind 
came  icy  cold  from  the  north,  and  every  leaf  on 
the  trees,  every  blade  on  the  bushes  was  blown 
away.  The  grass  lay  beaten  down  on  the  ground, 
and  the  rain  lashed  it  with  its  great,  heavy  drops. 
No  ray  of  sunlight  pierced  the  thick,  dark  clouds, 
which  chased  each  other  so  wildly  over  the  sky. 

The  birds  that  had  their  dwelling-places  on  the 
mountains  or  in  the  forests  had  long  ago  flown  to 
warmer  lands,  because  they  felt  that  winter  was 
approaching. 

Only  one  little  lark  remained  hopping  among 
the  rye  stubble  on  the  fields.  She  would  gladly 
have  flown  with  the  others,  but  she  was  not  able, 
for  she  had  injured  her  wing  on  a  brier-bush,  so  she 
could  not  fly  with  the  rest.  Now  she  sat  there  so 
dishevelled  and  sick,  and  shook  herself  again  and 
again  to  get  rid  of  the  rain.  But  soon  it  got  just 
as  wet  again,  and  that  smarted  so  in  the  little 
wing. 

Then  the  rain  grew  colder,  and  soon  the  drops 
were  white.  It  was  snow  that  came  and  the  flakes 

190 


AT  THE  MOLE'S  COUET.         191 

fell  faster  and  faster.  Terrified,  the  lark  hopped 
through  the  fence,  and  in  between  the  bushes  of 
the  hedge,  and  sprang  further  and  further,  as  fast 
as  her  tiny  feet  could  move. 

By  and  by  she  saw  a  large  mound  in  front  of  her, 
with  a  dark  opening  on  the  side  of  it,  and  she  hopped 
in  there.  It  was  very  dark  there,  so  the  lark  could 
not  see  anything  at  first,  but  when  her  eyes  became 
used  to  the  dim  light,  she  found  that  the  hole  was 
the  entrance  to  a  long  tunnel  going  inwards.  She 
was  now  so  weak  and  tired,  she  stuck  her  head 
under  the  well  wing  and  went  to  sleep. 

When  she  woke  up  and  tried  to  look  out,  no 
opening  was  to  be  found.  The  snow  had  fallen 
deep  outside,  and  a  great  drift  lay  over  the  mound. 
The  lark  was  shut  into  the  passage ! 

Dejected,  she  sat  and  thought  over  the  situation. 

"  Perhaps  there  is  a  way  out  on  the  other  side," 
said  she,  and  began  to  go  forward  on  the  dark  path. 

After  she  had  walked  awhile,  the  roof  grew 
higher,  and  she  was  inside  a  great  cave.  There 
was  creeping  and  crawling  on  all  sides,  and  the 
lark,  who  was  now  accustomed  to  the  darkness, 
which  was  broken  only  by  the  glow-worm's  pale 
light,  saw  that  she  was  in  the  company  of  slugs, 
dew-worms,  arid  such  creatures.  But  farther  away, 
on  the  other  side  of  the  cave,  sat  the  mole  and  his 
mate,  ruling  over  the  whole,  because  it  was  to  his 
court  the  lark  had  come. 


192  AT  THE  MOLE'S  COURT. 

"  Here  stands  a  beggar,"  said  a  big  slug,  poking 
the  lark  with  his  long,  sticky  horn.  "  What  shall 
we  do  with  him  ? "  The  slug  was  chief  court 
marshal,  and  his  duty  was  to  preserve  order  down 
there. 

"  We  have  enough  of  such,"  said  the  mole,  lower- 
ing his  eyebrows.  "  Come  here,  I  want  to  talk  to 
you." 

The  poor  lark  hopped  forward  and  placed  her- 
self before  him. 

"  What  is  your  name  and  where  do  you  come 
from  ?  "  asked  the  mole. 

"  My  name  is  Lark,  and  I  am  from  the  hedge  up 
there." 

"  Well,  I  can  easily  believe  that  you  are  one  of 
that  pack  that  travels  and  tramps  over  our  heads 
when  we  walk  in  the  corridors.  What  are  you 
good  for?" 

But  the  lark  did  not  understand  what  she  was 
to  answer. 

"  She  does  not  understand  Your  Majesty's  lan- 
guage," said  the  dew-worm.  "She  is  evidently 
not  accustomed  to  speak  with  such  distinguished 
folks.  Can  you  dig  caves  in  the  ground?  " 

"  No,"  replied  the  lark. 

"  Can  you  gather  ants'  eggs,  grains  of  rye,  and 
such  things  ?  " 

"No,  I  can  only  sing,"  said  the  lark,  looking 
anxiously  around. 


AT   THE  MOLE'S   COURT. 


"A  ballad  singer,  a  musician,  a  good-for-noth- 
ing !  "  said  the  mole,  scratching  his  head.  And 
then  the  whole  court  did  the  same. 

"What  shall  we  do  with  her?"  inquired  the 
slug. 

"  Well,  she  deserves  to  be  put  to  death  and 
buried  in  silence,"  said  the  mole,  "when  she  can 
not  do  her  part  towards  providing  the  food.  But 
as  my  former  court  fool,  the  lame,  tailless  field- 
mouse,  is  dead,  she  can  have  the  position.  I 
need  some  one  who  can  entertain  me  with  merry 
tricks." 

"  Did  you  ever  hear  of  such  luck  !  Twist  your- 
self forward  as  I  do  and  bow ! "  said  the  dew- 
worm. 

Bat  the  lark  did  not  know  of  what  her  luck 
consisted,  and  so  did  not  move. 

"  Do  you  not  hear  that  you  are  allowed  to  remain 
here  ?  "  said  the  slug  sharply.  "  You  are  to  have 
food  and  house-room  in  return  for  singing  and  en- 
tertaining His  Majesty's  high  court.  Do  you  not 
know  enough  to  say  '  thank  you,'  for  it?" 

What  was  the  poor  little  lark  to  do  ?  She  bent 
her  head  to  the  mole,  and  then  wiped  away  her 
tears  with  her  wing. 

"  Sing  now,"  said  the  court  marshal, "  and  rejoice 
that  the  royal  family  and  we  will  listen  to  you." 

"  It  is  so  hard  to  sing  when  one  is  not  happy! 
I  cannot,"  replied  the  lark. 


194  AT  THE  MOLE'S  COURT. 

But  the  mole  was  angry  now.  "  Cannot !  what 
kind  of  nonsense  is  that  ?  If  I  give  you  food  and 
shelter,  is  it  not  your  duty  to  sing  when  I  wish  ? 
So  now,  let  us  hear." 

The  lark  began  to  think  of  how  the  sun  shone 
so  clear  in  summer,  and  how  dark  it  was  here. 
And  so  she  sang  about  the  sunlight  and  the  blue 
sky,  but  that  did  not  suit  the  company  present  at 
all". 

"What  kind  of  nonsense  and  stupidity  is  that?" 
asked  the  mole.  "  I  will  not  hear  such  talk  about 
sun  and  light,  for  there  is  no  such  thing.  That  is 
only  an  old  legend  that  we  have  outgrown." 

The  mole  and  his  court  had  never  seen  the  sun, 
and  so  they  would  not  believe  that  the  sunlight 
existed. 

"  But  I  assure  you  "  —  began  the  lark. 
.  "  Silence  !  "  said  the  dew-worm.  "  You  shall  not 
stand  here  and  contradict  those  who  are  greater 
than  you.  Do  you  not  know  that  I  have  been  up 
there  hundreds  of  times,  and  yet  I  never  saw  sun 
or  sky?" 

That  was  true  enough,  because  the  dew- worm 
has  no  eyes,  as  you  know. 

"  You  must  know,"  said  the  queen,  "  that  it  is 
forbidden  on  penalty  of  death,  to  tell  such  untruths 
here,  and  if  you  prize  your  neck,  you  will  keep  quiet 
about  such  things." 

"  Just  hear  !  what  kindness  and  grace  !  "  said  the 


AT   THE  MOLE'S   COURT.  195 

slug.  "  Thank  the  gracious  queen,  who  forgives 
your  wicked  falsehoods,  and  now  sing.  Sing 
how  fine  it  is  here,  how  much  food  we  have,  ho\v 
kind  the  noble  company  is,  how  the  dew-worm 
creeps  ;  yes,  you  can  sing  about  me,  too,  and  it  will 
not  be  too  much." 

"  Yes,  sing  about  them,"  said  the  king,  "  provided 
you  value  your  life." 

It  was  a  difficult  thing  for  the  lark  to  sing  about 
the  mole  digging  caves,  the  dew-worm  crawling, 
the  slug  swinging  his  horn  and  so  on. 

"  Indeed  !  "  said  the  mole. 

"  Indeed  ! "  said  the  whole  court  after  him. 

"  Let  her  take  a  place  among  the  other  servants," 
said  the  queen,  and  go  the  lark  had  to  eat  in  the 
kitchen. 

It  was  an  eternity,  the  lark  thought,  that  she 
sang  songs  ;  she  could  not  know  how  many  days 
and  nights  there  were,  for  here  the  days  and  nights 
were  alike. 

Her  longing  after  the  sun  and  light  grew  active 
and  strong,  but  she  was  not  allowed  to  speak  of 
them  without  death  resulting. 

But  one  time  her  longing  grew  too  strong ;  ohe 
began  to  sing  about  the  slug's  great  horn  which  she 
had  praised  a  thousand  times  before,  when  all  at 
once  she  changed  —  she  could  not  help  it  —  and 
began  to  sing  of  the  sun  and  the  light  and  the  soft 
west  wind  and  the  fragrant  flowers. 


196  AT    THE   MOLE'S    COUHT. 

Then  there  was  such  a  bustle  that  one  who  was 
not  there  could  not  imagine  it. 

"  Down  with  her !  She  scorns  us  in  our  wisdom  ; 
sings  of  what  is  above,  and  that  towards  the  end  of 
the  nineteenth  century,"  shrieked  the  moles,  slugs, 
dew-worms  and  all  the  other  creeping  things  that 
burrow  in  the  ground,  and  they  rushed  upon  the 
lark. 

But  she  escaped — her  wing  was  healed  —  and 
came  into  the  passage  through  which  she  had 
entered  the  mole's  court.  She  hurried  forward, 
faster  and  faster. 

When  she  came  way  out,  she  saw  a  ray  of  light. 
Her  eyes,  which  were  now  used  to  the  darkness, 
were  blinded  at  first,  but  she  soon  became  accus- 
tomed to  day  again  —  the  beloved  day,  that  grew 
ever  clearer  and  clearer.  Finally  she  saw  a  ray  of 
sunlight,  then  many  and  many  more. 

The  ice  was  melted,  the  snow  gone  ;  it  was  spring, 
and  glowing  sunshine. 

The  lark  rose  on  outstretched  wings,  with  exult- 
ing song  over  the  green  meadows  and  blue  lakes. 
But  the  company  which  followed  the  little  songstress 
stopped  when  it  began  to  be  daylight. 

"  It  is  too  disagreeable  here,"  said  the  mole,  and 
turned  back. 

"  Yes,  she  deserved  her  fate,"  said  the  slug. 
"  To  think  of  her  having  everything  so  fine,  and 
still  to  run  away,  just  of  conceit !  " 


AT   THE  MOLE'S  COURT.  197 

"  Yes,"  said  the  dew-worm,  "  to  try  to  make  us 
believe  that  there  are  such  things  as  sun  and  sky ! 
One  could  have  laughed  at  it,  if  it  had  not  been  so 
annoying." 

"  And  think  of  coming  with  such  prating  in  the 
enlightened  nineteenth  century,"  said  the  mole. 
"  Ha,  ha,  ha !  but  she  received  her  deserts  for 
it!" 

The  whole  company  laughed  at  the  lark,  who 
wanted  to  make  folks  believe  such  stupidity  as 
that  sky  and  sun  existed.  They  still  laugh  when 
they  think  of  it,  though  it  angers  them  at  the 
same  time. 


THE   LITTLE   PLANT. 

AWAY  on  the  edge  of  the  forest  stood  a  little 
plant,  only  a  hand  high,  or  perhaps  still  less.  But 
the  ground  around  it  was  so  cold  and  hard  that  it 
could  not  grow  more  ;  and  now  it  had  stood  there 
several  years  and  languished. 

"  Grow  and  be  beautiful,"  said  the  forest  sternly, 
but  the  plant  did  not  grow. 

"  Do  you  not  wish  to  grow  ?  "  said  the  magpie, 
and  then  it  began  to  tell  the  little  thing  how  lazy 
and  useless  it  was,  but  it  went  in  at  one  ear  and 
out  of  the  other. 

Still  the  plant  did  not  grow. 

"  I  will  teach  you  to  obey !  "  roared  the  wind,  and 
lashed  the  poor  twig  with  its  cold  wings,  so  it  came 
near  dying  instead  of  springing  up. 

"  You  will  surely  grow,  poor  little  thing,"  said 
the  sun  so  kindly,  and  poured  warm  spring  rain 
from  the  sky,  and  warmed  up  the  earth  around  it. 

And  then  the  little  twig  shot  up  and  became  a 
beautiful  linden,  with  leafy  crown  and  fragrant 
blossoms. 


198 


THE   FIRST  LARK. 

THE  days  were  getting  longer,  the  sun  mounted 
higher  in  the  heavens,  the  snow  on  the  roofs 
melted  away,  and  here  and  there  a  bare  spot  on  the 
ground  showed  itself.  But  winter  wished  to  retain 
liis  power  as  master,  and  called  a  good  old  friend 
to  help  him,  who  drove  over  the  fields  and  sought 
to  fasten  winter's  mantle,  where  the  suii's  rays  had 
torn  it  asunder. 

He  breathed  so  cold  on  the  bare  spots,  he  struck 
the  trees  and  bushes  with  his  ice  cold  wings,  and 
every  green  blade  that  tried  to  peep  up  through 
the  ground,  was  instantly  killed  by  his  frosty 
breath. 

The  flowers,  resting  in  the  frozen  lap  of  earth, 
the  brook  which  was  held  prisoner  under  the  snow 
drift,  the  waves  fettered  by  icy  chains,  all  sighed 
heavily  :  "  Is  Spring  not  coming?  " 

And  the  sigh  of  the  imprisoned  ones  was  borne 
far  to  the  south,  where  the  earth  was  already 
green,  the  apple-trees  bloomed  and  the  spring 
birds  sang.  On  the  dewy  turf  sat  a  flock  of 
larks 

199 


200  THE   FIRST   LARK. 

"What  is  that?"  said  one  of  them.  "Who 
sighs  so  heavily  ?  " 

"  It  comes  on  the  wind,"  answered  another ;  "  it 
is  Nature  up  in  the  north,  longing  for  spring  and 
wailing  about  winter  and  the  north  wind." 

"Then  we  will  fly  up  there,"  said  the  one  who 
first  spoke ;  "  we  will  tell  them  that  spring  will 
soon  come ;  we  will  sing  to  the  flowers,  the  brook 
and  the  waves,  so  they  will  get  courage  to  burst 
their  chains." 

"  No,  do  not  fly ! "  said  one  of  the  others  ;  "  the 
frozen  ground  has  no  food  for  you,  winter  will 
blow  on  you  with  his  ice  cold  breath,  and  you  will 
die  in  the  deep  drifts." 

"  But  it  is  a  shame  for  the  cold  to  keep  them 
prisoners ;  it  makes  me  grieve  for  those  who  suf- 
fer. I  cannot  wait.  Listen,  listen  !  how  full  of 
anguish  the  sigh  is  !  I  must  away." 

"  But  then  you  will  die,"  said  the  others. 

But  the  lark  flew  far,  far  away,  up  towards  the 
north.  At  last  she  came  to  the  place,  where  from 
the  nest,  deeply  bedded  in  the  waving  rye,  she  had 
first  seen  the  golden  sun,  the  blue  heavens  and  the 
green  earth. 

But  how  different  everything  was  now  from  the 
time  she  had  last  looked  upon  it.  No  bird's  song 
was  heard ;  the  bare  spots  were  gray  and  the 
wounds  the  sun  gave  to  winter  in  the  daytime 
were  healed  by  the  cold  north  wind  at  night.  It 


THE  FIRST   LARK.  201 

was  so  cold,  so  dismal  compared  to  the  life  there  in 
the  south. 

But  the  lark  spread  her  wings  and  soared  up  into 
the  cold,  blue  air  and  sung.  She  sang  about  the 
sun  and  light,  about  warmth  and  life,  about  ex- 
ulting joy,  about  freedom  and  spring.  And  the 
tones  that  came  from  that  warm  heart  flew  out 
over  the  earth,  over  drifts  of  snow,  and  forests,  over 
mountains  and  lakes,  and  were  heard  far,  far  away. 

"  Oh !  listen,"  said  the  grass,  which  waked  up 
from  its  long  winter  slumber. 

"  Hear !  "  said  the  flower  buds. 

"  Spring  is  come,"  sang  the  brooks  under  the 
drifts. 

"  The  lark  is  here,"  rang  out  from  a  thousand 
places.  Blade  after  blade  sprang  out  of  the 
ground,  the  flowers  opened  their  buds,  the  birch's 
small  leaves  peeped  curiously  out,  the  waves 
tossed  the  ice  angrily  against  the  stones  on  the 
shore.  The  giddy  brook  hopped  out  of  its  prison, 
he  laughed  at  the  snow  drifts,  he  poked  fun  at  the 
north  wind,  and  pulled  the  old  fence  by  the  beard 
so  boyishly  as  he  sprang  by.  In  vain  the  north 
wind  blew,  in  vain  the  cold  breathed;  they  were 
not  able  to  quench  the  awakened  life  which  hour 
by  hour  grew  stronger,  fresher  and  rejoicing  out 
of  the  grave  where  it  had  rested. 

"  It  is  the  lark's  fault,"  said  winter. 

"  Yes,  she  is  to  blame,"  said  the  north  wind. 


202  THE  FIRST   LARK. 

"  She  shall  be  punished,"  said  the  cold. 

"  She  shall  die,"  said  all  three. 

And  when  the  little  songstress  laid  her  tired 
wings  together  at  night  and  sank  down  on  the 
ground,  when  the  sunset  and  the  darkness  came, 
then  the  enemies  of  the  spring  gathered  their 
forces,  and  when  the  sun  rose  again  the  little  bird 
lay  frozen  to  death  on  the  ground,  covered  with 
snow  which  the  north  wind  had  shaken  from  its 
flying  wings  during  the  night.  But  Nature  called 
to  life,  could  not  be  forced  down  into  the  grave 
again  —  cold,  winter  and  north  wind  must  fly. 

There  was  spring,  there  was  warmth,  and  exulting  delight, 
In  the  vale,  o'er  the  lake,  on  the  summer  clad  height ! 

But  out  beside  the  spring  under  the  hanging 
birch-tree,  a  little  patch  of  lilies  of  the  valley  grew 
high,  and  the  spring  flowers  sent  out  their  perfume 
more  sweetly  there  than  elsewhere ;  there  the 
blackbird  sings  his  song  full  of  melancholy  joy. 
Ask  the  west  wind  which  strokes  the  birch's  green 
hair  why  the  little  spot  is  lovelier  than  all  others, 
he  will  sway  the  beautiful  lily  of  the  valley  stalks 
and  say  : 

"  Under  this  spot  rests  the  first  lark." 


RAGNHILD  AND   THE    GOBLIN    IN    FAL- 
SKOGS*   MOUNTAIN. 

A  LONG,  long  time  ago  in  this  world,  as  you 
well  know,  Thor  rode  around  and  slew  giants  and 
mountain  goblins  with  his  great  hammer  wherever 
he  found  them.  Bat  some  of  them  were  so  crafty 
that  they  hid  themselves  when  Thor  came,  so  he 
could  not  find  out  where  they  were.  Thus  many 
such  lived  long  after  folks  became  Christians  — 
yes,  it  is  certain  enough  that  there  are  giants  and 
goblins  jet,  only  they  do  not  show  themselves 
nowadays. 

In  those  days  (it  is  now  a  long  time  ago),  when 
people  had  just  begun  to  believe  in  our  Saviour 
and  had  forsaken  their  idols,  a  priest  came  to  that 
part  of  Vestergyllnf  where  Falskoga  Mountain 
stands.  This  priest  was  such  an  one  as  preached 
for  gold  and  silver  and  his  own  gain,  instead  of  to 
make  people  good. 

But  he  wanted  to  have  a  church,  for  there  was 
none  to  be  found  there  in  those  days,  and  the 
priest  said  the  church  should  stand  on  Falskogs 

*  Pronounced  Fal-skoogs.        t  Pronounced  Vester-yill-en. 
203 


204  BAGNHILD  AND  THE   GOBLIN. 

Mountain,  where  it  could  be  seen  from  all  direc- 
tions, as  well  as  the  sun  in  the  heavens. 

Late  one  evening  the  priest  was  walking  on  the 
mountain,  looking  for  a  level  spot  on  which  to  put 
the  church.  After  he  had  walked  and  hunted  a 
long  time,  a  thick  dust  rose  all  about  him.  He 
did  not  pay  any  attention  to  it,  because  he  was 
lost  in  his  thoughts,  but  in  a  little  while,  when  he 
found  a  good  spot,  he  said  aloud : 

"  Here  shall  the  church  stand,  and  here  will  I 
preach  about  the  Christ,  so  I  shall  earn  both  gold 
and  silver  by  it.  " 

Hardly  had  he  spoken  the  last  word,  before  a 
gray  old  man  stood  before  him.  The  man  was 
gray  in  his  face,  gray  in  his  hair,  and  gray  in  his 
clothes  —  precisely  like  the  gray  stones  on  the 
mountain,  and  one  could  almost  have  believed 
that  he  was  created  out  of  the  gray  dust  that  lay 
so  thick  round  about. 

When  the  priest  saw  the  old  man  he  was  over- 
come with  fear,  for  he  knew  it  was  the  king  of  the 
mountain.  So  he  tried  to  say  some  prayers,  in 
order  to  get  rid  of  the  goblin,  but  before  he  could 
begin>  the  mountain  opened  under  his  feet,  and 
both  he  and  the  gray  old  man  sank  down,  as  deep 
as  in  a  bottomless  sea. 

Now  you  know  that  if  a  person  speaks  the  Sav- 
iour's name,  and  mentions  gold  and  silver  at  the 
same  time,  if  there  is  a  goblin  living  under  the 


KAGNHILD   AND  THE  GOBLIN.  205 

spot,  it  will  have  power  over  the  person,  and  so  it 
was  now  with  the  priest.  Deep  down  in  the 
mountain,  where  there  was  so  much  gold  and  sil- 
ver and  precious  stones,  the  priest  had  to  stay  for- 
ever, so  the  goblin  said. 

The  priest  became  very  sad  over  this,  and 
wished  to  go  up  again.  He  knew  very  well  that 
what  goblins  most  desired  was  to  be  wedded  to 
a  Christian  person,  but  it  was  difficult,  of  course, 
for  a  goblin  to  get  such  a  wife. 

Only  in  case  a  goblin  can  be  invited  to  be  god- 
father when  a  couple  baptize  their  first  daughter, 
can  it  gain  power  over  her  when  she  becomes  fif- 
teen years  old.  But  the  goblin  cannot  take  her  as 
long  as  she  is  under  a  roof.  The  priest  and  the 
goblin  both  knew  all  this,  and  the  priest  prom- 
ised to  arrange  it  so  the  goblin  should  be  invited 
as  godfather  if  only  he  could  come  out  of  the 
mountain.  So  the  goblin  agreed  to  that,  and  the 
priest  came  up  out  of  the  mountain. 

At  the  mountain's  foot  lay  a  little  cottage,  and 
in  it  lived  some  newly  married  people.  The  man's 
name  was  Gote  *  and  the  woman's  Birgitta.  f 
Gb'te  was  industrious  and  satisfied  with  his  lot,  but 
Birgitta  thought  it  was  very  hard  to  drag  along 
in  poverty  ;  and  she  complained  so  often  that  Goto 
was  in  despair,  especially  as  she  was  very  ill-tem- 
pered towards  him,  besides. 

•Pronounced  Yerter.  f  Pronounced  Beer-yitta. 


206  BAGNHILD  AND  THE   GOBLIN. 

As  time  went  on,  the  people  had  a  child  sent  to 
them,  and  it  was  a  girl.  They  were  both  filled 
with  joy,  but  soon  found  a  new  trouble,  because 
they  had  no  godparents  for  the  child.  At  last 
they  found  a  woman  who  would  be  godmother, 
but  still  a  godfather  was  wanting. 

When  the  priest  heard  that  the  poor  people  had 
a  daughter,  he  hurried  there  at  once. 

"  Let  me  baptize  the  child,"  said  he.  He  knew, 
beforehand,  that  they  had  no  godfather. 

"  But  we  have  no  godfather,  "  said  Go'te. 

"  Ah,  I  can  find  a  way  out  of  that,"  the  priest 
at  once  said.  "  You  can  surely  invite  your  neigh- 
bor." 

"  Which  neighbor  do  you  mean  ?  "  asked  the 
parents. 

"  Why,  your  neighbor  in  Falskogs  Mountain," 
replied  the  priest. 

When  the  people  heard  that,  they  crossed  them- 
selves, as  they  used  to  do  in  those  days,  when  dan- 
ger was  near.  But  the  priest  said  : 

"  One  can  have  a  worse  godfather.  He  can  give 
you  a  baptismal  present  that  shall  make  you  rich 
all  your  days." 

When  Birgitta  heard  this,  she  thought  it  would 
be  the  best  thing  that  could  happen,  to  be  rid  of 
poverty,  so  she  said  at  once : 

"  Yes,  let  us  invite  him  in  that  case  ! " 

But  Gote  did  not  wish  to  have  a  goblin   for  a 


EAGNHILD   AND  THE   GOBLIN.  207 

godfather,  though  he  was  so  poor,  but  then  the 
priest  said  again : 

"Any  one  is  better  than  no  one,  I  think,  and 
the  worst  is  for  the  child  not  to  be  baptized.  Be- 
sides, the  goblin  will  not  come  here." 

"  Well,  then,  we  will  invite  him,"  said  Gote. 

As  he  spoke  these  words,  they  heard  a  horrible 
sound  in  the  mountain  ;  it  sounded  like  a  mass  of 
large  stones  rolling  down  the  steep  sides.  But 
the  child  was  christened  and  called  Ragnhiid,  and 
the  priest  went  his  way. 

Now  when  night  came,  it  grew  all  at  once  as 
light  as  day  in  the  cottage,  and  the  people  were 
terribly  frightened,  for  in  the  middle  of  the  floor, 
stood  the  goblin  from  Falskogs  Mountain. 

The  goblin  was  gray  from  head  to  foot. 

A  crown  of  silver  with  a  burning  light  upon  it, 
sat  on  his  gray  hair,  and  a  gray  silver  belt  was 
around  his  waist. 

"As  I  was  chosen  godfather,  I  will  now  give 
my  christening  present,"  said  the  goblin,  and  then 
clapped  his  hands.  Four  gray  pigmies  came  in 
bearing  a  large  sieve.  They  placed  the  sieve  on 
the  floor  and  took  away  the  cloth  that  covered  it. 
And  the  sieve  was  full  of  pure  gold  and  silver. 

Before  the  goblin  went  out,  he  laid  his  hand  on 
the  little  girl's  head,  and  said  : 

"  When  you  are  fifteen  years  old,  I  shall  come 
and  take  you  home  to  the  mountain." 


208  RAGNHILD   AND   THE   GOBLIN. 

As  he  said  this,  he  immediately  disappeared  and 
it  grew  dark  in  the  cottage  ;  and  from  the  mount- 
ain a  loud  thunder  was  heard,  like  that  when  the 
goblin  was  chosen  godfather. 

When  the  people  awoke  in  the  morning,  the 
sieve  full  of  gold  and  silver  still  stood  on  the  floor. 
Gb'te  wanted  to  carry  it  away  but  Birgitta  wanted 
to  keep  it,  and  she  had  her  way,  as  usual.  Now 
the  poor  couple  lived  as  rich  folks  do,  and  Ragn- 
hild  grew  up  and  became  so  beautiful  that  no  one 
had  seen  her  equal. 

The  mother  became  more  and  more  fond  of  her 
child  as  time  went  on,  and  became  gentle  and 
pious,  so  that  those  who  had  seen  her  before  could 
hardly  recognize  her. 

When  the  day  approached  for  Ragnhild  to  be 
fifteen  years  old,  the  mother  remembered  all  at 
once  what  the  mountain  king  had  said,  and  became 
very  sad  and  sorrowful,  but  said  nothing  to  the  girl. 
She  watched  over  Ragnhild  on  her  birthday  so  she 
should  not  go  out,  and  when,  near  evening,  Bir- 
gitta had  to  go  away,  she  fastened  all  the  doors  so 
Ragnhild  should  not  go  out  of  the  house. 

Ragnhild  had  had  a  tame  bird  of  which  she  was 
very  fond,  but  it  had  flown  away,  several  days  be- 
fore. Now  when  Ragnhild  was  alone,  the  bird 
came  back  and  sat  outside  the  window,  singing 
beautifully.  The  girl  opened  the  window  so  he 
could  come  in,  but  when  he  did  not  come  she 


KAGNHILD  AND  THE  GOBLIN.  209 

hopped  out  to  catch  him.  The  bird  flew  right  be- 
fore her  feet,  but  always  further  and  further  away. 
Finally  he  sat  on  the  top  of  Falskogs  Mountain. 

At  the  same  time  the  mother  came  home. 
When  she  saw  the  window  open  she  knew  at  once 
that  something  wrong  had  happened.  When  she 
looked  out  she  saw  Ragnhild  standing  on  the 
mountain.  She  wished  to  call  to  her,  but  she  was 
so  frightened  she  could  not  utter  a  word. 

*The  evening  sun  shone  beautifully  up  there  and 
Ragnhild's  hair  gleamed  like  gold  in  its  rays.  Then 
a  gray  mist  sprang  up  beside  Ragnhild  and  out  of 
it  stepped  the  goblin  of  the  mountain.  Ragnhild 
did  not  see  him,  however,  but  mounted  to  the  very 
summit.  Then  the  mother  found  her  voice  and 
called  "Ragnhild." 

The  girl  turned  and  waved  her  hands,  but  in- 
stantly the  goblin  caught  them  and  they  both 
sank  in  the  mountain. 

It  was  a  long  time  before  Ragnhild  recovered 
from  her  fright,  but  when  she  could  look  around 
her,  the  gray  old  man  stood  beside  her,  saying : 
"  Look  around  you !  All  that  you  can  see  here 
shall  be  yours,  if  only  you  will  be  mine." 

Everywhere,  on  the  walls  and  the  ceiling,  shone 
gold  and  silver,  and  the  floor  was  polished  as  a 
mirror. 

"  A  time  will  come,"  said  the  mountain  king, 
"  when  all  this  shall  come  up  to  the  light  of  day ; 


210  BAGNHILD  AND  THE  GOBLIN. 

but  then  we  who  belong  to  the  mountain,  shall  be 
lords  upon  earth  instead  of  human  beings  whom 
we  shall  slay." 

All  this  frightened  Ragnhild,  and  she  did  not 
wish  to  belong  to  the  horrible  goblin.  She  tried  to 
run  away,  but  the  goblin  followed  her  and  they 
went  deeper  and  deeper  into  the  mountain.  Fin- 
ally, when  the  goblin  was  just  about  to  seize  her, 
she  picked  up  a  gold  rod  from  the  floor  and  wrote 
round  about  her,  the  name  of  Jesus,  over  which 
the  goblin  could  never  come. 

The  parents  grieved  greatly  over  their  only 
child  ;  their  grand  house  became  empty  and  grass 
grew  on  the  steps  and  in  the  garden.  Birgitta  could 
never  forgive  herself  for  being  so  persistent  about 
having  the  goblin  for  godfather,  and  her  riches 
were  no  longer  a  joy  to  her. 

Every  night  she  went  out  to  the  mountain  to 
look  for  traces  of  her  daughter.  One  dark  even- 
ing just  when  the  moon  was  on  the  wane  and 
clouds  covered  the  sky,  she  heard  a  mysterious 
sound  under  the  earth.  When  she  knelt  down 
and  listened,  she  thought  she  recognized  her 
daughter's  voice,  and  she  heard  right.  It  was 
Ragnhild  talking  with  the  mountain  king. 

"  Strike  out  the  name,"  said  the  goblin,  "  and 
you  shall  rise  to  great  power  and  honor." 

"  No  ;  that  will  I  never  do,"  answered  the  girl. 

"  Then  you  shall  sit  here  forever,"  said  the  gob- 


EAGNHILD   AND  THE   GOBLIN.  211 

lin.  "  If  some  one  should  happen  to  build  a 
church  on  Falskogs  Mountain,  and  have  seven 
pure  and  holy  maidens  dedicate  it  with  singing, 
then  could  you  be  free,  and  only  then.  But 
nobody  will  ever  think  to  do  that." 

Then  it  became  quiet  down  there,  but  Birgitta 
had  heard  what  Ranghild  and  the  goblin  said. 

All  the  gold  and  silver  that  remained  of  the  god- 
father's gift  was  used  by  Gote  and  Birgitta  to 
build  a  church  out  on  Falskogs  Mountain.  But 
what  they  built  up  by  day,  was  torn  down  by 
night.  Then  the  workmen  began  to  build  at  night 
instead,  while  they  sang  holy  songs,  and  by  day 
they  rested.  Then  the  goblin  had  no  more  power 
over  the  building,  and  soon  God's  house  stood 
ready,  and  one  beautiful  morning,  just  as  the  sun 
ran  up,  the  last  stone  was  laid,  and  the  temple  was 
to  be  dedicated. 

Seven  innocent  maidens  had  been  chosen  to  sing 
psalms,  and  from  both  far  and  near  people  came  to 
see  and  hear.  But  Gote  and  Birgitta  were  dressed 
in  the  same  garments  they  had  worn  during  the 
days  of  their  poverty ;  they  had  also  given  the 
last  of  the  goblin's  gold  to  the  builders. 

The  singing  rang  out  beautifully  and  clearly, 
but  when  the  name  of  Jesus  was  spoken,  the  whole 
mountain  shook  with  a  horrible  thunder.  The 
floor  of  the  church  opened,  a  mist  arose  and  shone 
like  gold  against  the  ceiling.  But  when  the  hypo- 


212  RAGNHILD   AND   THE   GOBLIN. 

critical  priest  who  stood  by  the  altar  saw  it,  he 
cried:  "Gold!  gold!" 

Then  he  sank  through  the  floor  and  was  never 
seen  again  ;  but  when  the  mist  faded  away,  Ragn- 
hild  was  seen  kneeling  by  the  altar,  and  her  father 
and  mother  took  her  to  their  home.  After  her  the 
church  was  called  Ragnhildsdala,  though  people 
say  Rangedala.  * 

*  Pronounced  Rong-er-dala. 


HOW  COUNT  BONDE  *  CAME  UP  IN  THE 
WORLD. 

THERE  was  once  a  king,  but  it  is  not  so  easy  to 
say  who  he  was,  because  it  was  such  a  long  time 
ago.  Be  that  as  it  may,  he  was  out  once,  traveling, 
as  they  used  to  do  a  long  time  ago.  As  he  was  in 
the  midst  of  his  journey,  he  came  into  so  large  a 
forest  that  he  lost  his  way,  because  he  could  not 
find  his  way  home  again.  Then  he  came  across 
a  coal  hut  and  peeped  in  there.  There  he  saw  the 
coal  burner,  of  course,  and  they  fell  into  conversa- 
tion, but  the  king  did  not  say  who  he  was,  and  the 
coal  man  did  not  know  who  he  was,  either.  He 
offered  the  king  food,  and  as  the  king  was  hungry, 
he  agreed  to  the  plan  and  went  in.  But  he 
wanted  to  have  two  slices  of  meat  on  his  bread, 
and  the  coal  burner  became  wrathy  and  said  that 
he  had  eaten  ever  since  he  was  born,  but  never  had 
taken  two  pieces  of  meat  to  one  piece  of  bread,  and 
still  he  was  alive  ;  so  no  one  else  needed  to  do  it, 
either. 

The  king  said  nothing,  but  did  just  as  the  coal 

•  Pronounced  Boonder. 

213 


214  COUNT  BONDE. 

burner  wished.  After  they  had  eaten  and  were  sat- 
isfied, the  king  began  to  talk  with  the  man  about 
the  state  of  the  country  and  the  people,  and  about 
himself  into  the  bargain.  The  coal  burner  was 
not  so  stupid  about  what  he  said,  and  the  king 
saw  that  he  was  very  sensible,  and  too  good  to 
be  a  coal  burner,  but  he  said  nothing  about  that 
to  the  man,  of  course.  Then  he  bade  the  coal 
burner  show  him  the  way  out  of  the  woods,  and  he 
did  so. 

The  king  did  not  forget  the  man,  and  two 
weeks  later  or  thereabouts,  he  arranged  for  an 
immense  banquet,  and  invited  the  court  people,  the 
nobility  and  the  clergymen  —  yes,  all  the  fine  folks 
possible,  for  he  was  expecting  a  stranger  to  whom 
he  wished  to  do  honor,  he  said. 

A  few  days  beforehand  he  sent  out  his  courtiers 
and  servants  with  his  finest  coach,  to  bring  the 
coal  burner.  When  they  met  him  he  was  beside 
the  charcoal  pit,  arid  when  he  heard  that  the  king 
wished  to  speak  to  him,  he  wanted  to  go  home  and 
fix  himself  up,  of  course.  But  the  courtiers  had 
received  strict  orders  not  to  delay,  and  so  he  had 
to  go  with  them  just  as  he  was,  to  Stockholm. 

The  king  himself  went  out  in  the  courtyard  to 
receive  him,  and  the  court  ladies  were  dreadfully 
curious,  you  may  believe ;  so  they  followed  the 
king,  who  opened  the  coach  door  himself. 

Then  the  peasant  put  out  one  leg,  and  as  he  had 


COUNT  BONDE.  215 

come  from  the  coal  hut,  he  had  his  wooden  shoes 
and  leather  apron  on.  The  young  ladies  began  to 
shriek  and  clasp  their  hands. 

"  Never  have  we  seen  the  like  !  "  said  they. 

"Well,  here  can  you  look  on  the  like,"  said 
the  peasant,  and  put  out  the  other  leg ;  and  they 
were  startled  enough  at  sight  of  such  a  stranger. 

But  the  king  appeared  as  if  it  was  all  right,  and 
the  peasant  was  seated  next  to  the  king. 

The  peasant  now  put  as  much  on  his  bread  as  he 
liked;  but  then  the  king  said  to  him,  that  no  one 
ought  to  put  two  pieces  on  one  slice.  This  made 
it  clear  to  the  peasant  that  it  was  the  king  who  was 
at  his  hut  in  the  woods. 

Finally  all  were  satisfied  with  feasting,  and  the 
king  thought  they  might  play  games,  so  he  gave 
his  right-hand  neighbor  a  box  on  the  ear. 

"  Pass  that  along,"  said  the  king,  so  it  went  from 
one  to  another,  till  it  came  to  the  peasant  who  sat 
beside  the  king,  and  who  must  pass  the  blow  to  the 
lord  of  the  land  himself.  But  when  the  coal  burner 
had  received  the  box  on  his  ear,  lie  turned  and 
said  : 

"  My  father  was  a  farmer,  he  was,  and  when  he 
came  to  a  ditch,  he  turned  his  plough  and  went 
back  the  same  way."  Whereupon  lie  returned  the 
box  on  the  ear  to  the  one  who  had  passed  it  to  him, 
and  escaped  striking  the  king. 

When  the  game  was  over,  the  king  brought  out 


216  COUNT   BONDE. 

the  grandest  things,  made  of  gold  and  precious 
stones,  and  asked  if  any  one  knew  what  was  worth 
more  than  all  of  them.  But  everybody  remained 
silent,  because  nobody  could  guess  such  a  thing. 
Then  the  peasant  said,  when  he  saw  no  one  was 
bright  enough  to  make  an  answer : 

"I  know  well  enough  what  is  worth  more,  and 
that  is  a  good  midsummer  rain ; "  and  all  who 
heard  that,  thought  he  spoke  the  truth. 

The  king  thought  that  when  the  countryman 
was  shrewdest  among  them  all,  he  could  also  be 
as  good  as  any  of  them ;  so  he  made  up  his  mind 
to  dub  the  coal  burner  to  a  Count.  So  he  took 
his  great  sword  and  struck  him  on  the  shoulder, 
first  once,  afterward  twice  and  last  of  all  three 
times. 

But  as  the  king  was  striking  the  third  blow,  the 
coal  burner  hiccoughed,  so  he  could  be  heard  over 
the  whole  room. 

"  Why  do  you  behave  like  that  ?  "  asked  the 
king. 

"  Oh !  "  said  the  peasant,  "  when  the  Count  shall 
in,  the  peasant  must  out." 

But  because  he  had  behaved  like  a  peasant,  he 
was  obliged  to  be  named  peasant  (Bonde).  And 
his  sons  became  great  men  and  his  daughters  the 
finest  ladies. 

And  that  is  the  way  it  happened  that  Count 
Bonde  rose  in  this  world. 


THE  ASHBOY. 

THERE  was  once  a  king  who  ruled  over  a  great 
country.  He  had  many  splendid  possessions, 
among  them  three  meadows  which  were  the  most 
beautiful  one  could  wish  to  see,  but  so  bewitched, 
that  all  that  went  there,  be  it  man  or  beast,  van- 
ished forever  from  sight.  The  king  was  very  sad 
over  it  and  gave  out  a  promise,  that  he  who  could 
remove  the  spell  of  witchery,  should  have  his 
youngest  daughter  for  his  wife. 

Then  there  came  one  stately  prince  after  the 
other,  for  many  wanted  to  have  the  princess,  who 
was  as  lovely  as  a  rose ;  but  when  they  tried  to 
drive  the  cows  on  the  meadows,  not  one  of  them 
came  back,  neither  princes  nor  cattle.  No  one 
knew  what  became  of  them,  and  finally,  no  one 
<Lm>d  go  there,  of  course,  when  it  was  so  fearfully 
bewitched. 

At  that  time,  there  lived  a  woman  with  three 
sons,  in  a  cottage  in  the  woods.  The  two  eldest 
of  them  were  very  strong  fellows  and  took  care  of 
themselves,  but  people  thought  the  youngest  was 
good  for  nothing,  so  he  was  allowed  to  saunter 
217 


218  THE   ASHEOY. 

about.  But  he  liked  best  to  sit  in  tbe  chimney 
corner,  so  he  was  called  the  Ashboy. 

When  it  was  heard  all  over  the  kingdom  what 
the  king  had  promised,  it  came  also  to  the  ears  of 
the  Ashboy.  So  he  said  to  his  mother,  one  day : 

"  Put  up  a  little  luncheon  for  me,  mother,  for  I 
am  going  out  on  a  journey." 

"Where  do  you  think  of  going,  you  witch?" 
said  the  mother. 

"  Oh !  I  am  going  to  look  around  me,"  said  he. 

"  You  can  go  with  what  you  have,"  said  his 
mother,  so  he  had  to  go  empty-handed. 

After  he  had  traveled  a  long  distance,  he  came 
to  the  king,  and  made  known  his  errand. 

"  So,  so,  my  boy,"  said  the  king,  "  you  will  turn 
herdsman  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  the  boy ;  "  I  wish  to  try  it." 

"  Well,  then,  to-morrow  you  shall  take  a  cow  with 
you,  which  you  can  tend  on  the  first  meadow,"  re- 
plied the  king. 

The  next  day  the  boy  took  a  little  hammer  in 
his  pocket  and  drove  his  cow  out  to  pasture. 
When  he  came  into  the  meadow,  he  did  not  feel 
afraid,  but  seated  himself  on  the  fence  and  began 
to  sing  as  loud  as  he  could.  In  a  little  while,  a 
big  giant  came  towards  him  and  was  going  to  kill 
him ;  but  the  boy  took  up  his  hammer  and  struck 
the  giant  in  the  middle  of  his  forehead,  so  his  head 
split  open,  and  then  he  died,  of  course. 


THE  ASHBOY.  219 

"I  wonder  if  he  can  have  anything  in  his 
pocket,"  thought  the  Ashboy,  and  he  found  a  big 
key  and  a  whistle  there.  Now  he  begun  to  think 
hard  over  what  these  could  mean,  and  as  he  wan- 
dered along,  he  came  to  a  great  copper  palace. 
He  tried  the  key  in  the  lock  and  it  fitted.  He 
opened  the  door  but  did  not  see  any  human  being, 
so  he  took  the  pipe  and  blew,  and  immediately 
people  came  from  all  directions  and  asked: 

"  What  do  you  command,  great  king?  Do  you 
wish  to  put  on  your  armor?  Will  you  review 
your  regiment  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  that  was  my  meaning,"  said  the  boy  ;  so 
they  brought  forward  a  grand  suit  which  shone 
like  the  stars,  which  he  put  on.  Then  he  went 
over  the  castle  and  gathered  his  regiments. 

"  You  have  my  thanks,"  said  he  finally.  "  Come 
whenever  I  need  you." 

Then  he  took  the  cow  and  went  to  the  king. 
"  You  are  a  brave  boy,  you,"  said  the  king ;  "  not 
many  have  done  as  you  have,  before.  To-morrow 
you  shall  have  two  cows  and  go  to  the  second 
meadow." 

The  boy  did  the  same  as  the  day  before,  and  a 
giant  came  out,  who  was  even  larger  than  the  one 
that  had  been  killed.  But  his  fate  was  the  same 
as  his  comrade  of  the  first  meadow,  and  the  boy 
found  a  key  and  a  whistle  in  his  pocket,  also. 
When  the  Ashboy  opened  the  door  of  this  giant's 


220  THE  ASHBOY. 

castle,  which  was  of  silver,  and  blew  on  the  whistle, 
many  people  came  forward  and  asked : 

"  What  do  you  command,  great  king  ?  Will 
you  put  on  your  armor,  and  summon  your  regi- 
ments ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  bring  them  forward,"  said  the  boy. 

So  they  clothed  him  in  a  suit  that  shone  like 
the  moon  ;  and  a  great  regiment  marched  forward. 

Then  the  boy  said: 

"You  have  my  thanks.  Come  when  I  need 
you." 

The  boy  then  took  his  two  cows  and  went  home 
as  before. 

The  king  was  very  much  pleased  now,  as  you 
must  know,  and  the  next  morning  the  boy  re- 
ceived three  cows  which  he  was  to  take  to  the 
third  meadow. 

"  May  it  go  well  with  you,  my  boy  !  "  said  the 
king,  "because  no  one  has  ever  come  back  from 
that  meadow." 

"  I  shall  be  sure  to  come  back,"  said  the  Ashboy. 

As  the  boy  sat  on  the  fence,  there  came  a  giant 
who  was  so  supernaturally  tall,  that  no  one  can 
imagine  one  taller. 

"  Who  are  you.  ana  what  are  you  doing  on  my 
meadow  ? "  roared  he,  so  the  woods  rang  with 
echoes.  "Now  you  shall  die,  you  minion." 

"  Wait  a  minute,  till  I  hear  the  reason,"  an- 
swered the  boy,  and  then  he  struck  the  giant  in 


THE  ASHBOY.  221 

the  forehead,  so  he  died  just  as  the  other  two  had 
done ;  and  the  boy  found  a  key  and  a  whistle  in 
his  pocket,  too. 

After  he  had  walked  awhile,  he  came  to  a  gold 
palace.  Here  he  received  a  suit  of  armor  that 
shone  like  the  sun,  and  he  found  a  regiment  even 
larger  than  the  others.  When  the  boy  had  re- 
viewed them,  he  said  as  before  : 

"You  have  mv  thanks.  Come  when  I  need 
you." 

Now  the  boy  had  become  king  over  three  king- 
doms, and  earned  the  princess,  besides,  and  there 
was  the  loudest  rejoicing  at  the  castle  when  he 
came  home  with  all  three  cows.  But  the  Ashboy 
did  not  tell  any  one  what  had  happened  in  the 
forest. 

The  king  now  prepared  a  wedding  for  all  three 
princesses,  for  the  eldest  two  had  also  found 
suitors,  and  each  couple  received  a  gold  apple  as  a 
wedding  present. 

But  the  Ashboy  was  scorned  by  his  brothers-in- 
law,  and  was  not  allowed  to  live  in  the  castle  at 
all,  but  in  a  little  cottage  way  out  in  the  forest. 
But  he  and  the  princess  were  fond  of  each  other, 
and  so  were  happier  than  all  the  rest. 

By  and  by  there  was  war  in  the  land.  Then  the 
king  said  to  his  sons-in-law : 

"  Now  you  must  help  me,  for  I  am  old  and  not 
able  to  fight  alone." 


222  THE  ASHBOY. 

"  May  I  go  with  you  to  battle  ? "  asked  the 
Ashboy. 

"  Poh !  what  good  can  you  do  ?  "  said  the  brothers- 
in-law  ;  "  we  shall  only  be  disgraced  by  you." 

"  Oh  !  I  will  manage  that,"  said  the  Ashboy. 

So  he  took  an  old  horse  and  followed  them. 
But  when  he  came  to  a  mud-hole  in  the  road,  the 
horse  fell  dowr 

'.'  Look !  see  where  he  is  lying,"  said  the  brothers- 
in-law,  laughing. 

"  Help  me  and  my  horse  up,"  screamed  the 
Ashboy. 

"  Yes  ;  when  we  come  back,"  answered  they,  and 
rode  away. 

After  the  brothers-in-law  had  turned  a  bend  in 
the  road,  the  Ashboy  rode  to  the  copper  castle, 
dressed  himself  in  the  fine  armor  and  took  his  regi- 
ment with  him.  He  rode  past  the  others  on  the 
road,  and  when  they  came  up  to  the  battle  field, 
the  enemy  had  been  slain  for  a  long  time. 

The  brothers-in-law  did  not  recognize  the  Ash- 
boy, but  they  could  not  look  enough  at  the 
stately  warrior,  and  one  of  the  brothers  gave  him 
his  gold  apple  out  of  gratitude  for  his  assistance. 

The  Ashboy  ran  ahead,  and  sent  his  army  to  the 
castle ;  when  the  brothers-in-law  came  to  the  mud- 
hole,  there  he  stood  trying  to  get  the  horse  out. 

"See,  it  was  just  as  we  said,"  cried  they,  when 


THE  ASHBOY.  223 

they  caught  sight  of  him  ;  "  you  staid  here  till  we 
came  back." 

Finally  he  succeeded  in  getting  the  old  horse 
on  its  feet,  and  followed  the  others,  the  king  and 
his  two  distinguished  sons-in-law  home. 

After  a  short  time  had  passed  away,  war  broke 
out  again.  Then  the  king  asked  his  sons-in-law 
for  help  again,  because  the  enemy  was  much 
stronger  than  the  first  time,  so  the  battles  would 
be  more  severe. 

The  Ashboy  was  not  allowed  to  go  this  time, 
but  he  followed  on  his  poor  old  horse,  and  fell 
into  the  mud-hole  as  before.  After  the  king  and 
his  army  were  out  of  sight,  the  Ashboy  hurried  to 
the  silver  castle  and  took  his  second  army  with 
him.  He  rode  past  the  others  with  his  warriors, 
and  when  they  came  up  the  enemy  was  already 
conquered. 

Now  the  king  and  his  sons-in-law  hardly  knew 
how  they  should  thank  him,  who  had  saved  them, 
but  after  many  bows  and  fine  phrases,  he  received 
the  second  gold  apple. 

When  they  came  to  the  mud-hole,  there  stood 
the  Ashboy  struggling  with  the  horse  again,  for 
his  army  were  long  before  in  the  silver  castle. 

"  Ha  !  there  you  still  stand,"  said  they,  laugh- 
ing at  him.  tk  But  we  have  seen  something  so 
grand,  that  you  will  never  see  the  like  !  " 


224  THE  ASHBOY. 

"  Oh !  that  may  be,"  said  the  Ashboy,  and  finally 
got  the  horse  on  his  feet  again. 

But  now  there  was  war  for  the  third  time,  for 
the  neighboring  nations  were  very  quarrelsome. 

Then  the  king  thought  that  he  should  surely 
be  lost,  because  the  king  who  was  his  enemy  this 
time,  was  the  most  powerful  in  the  whole  world, 
almost,  and  so  it  looked  bad  for  the  old  king. 

When  they  marched  out  from  the  castle  to 
battle,  the  Ashboy  followed  as  usual,  but  it  went 
just  as  badly  with  him  this  time  as  before.  After 
the  king  and  his  sons-in-law  had  ridden  away  and 
left  him,  the  Ashboy  went  to  the  gold  castle,  put 
on  his  armor,  and  took  his  regiment  with  him. 
As  he  rode  past  the  others  on  the  road,  they  thought 
surely  it  was  the  sun  riding  by,  it  shone  so. 

This  time  he  stood  still  with  his  warriors  till 
the  others  came  up,  for  he  thought  they  might  as 
well  feel  what  war  was  like.  But  it  went  badly 
for  the  old  king,  and  he  came  near  falling  into  the 
enemy's  grasp.  Then  the  Ashboy  let  his  people 
begin  to  cut  and  slash,  and  the  enemy  soon  saw 
different  doings  and  thought  it  was  not  worth 
while  to  try  longer  to  conquer. 

The  king  rode  forward  to  the  shining  warrior, 
whom  he  did  not  recognize  at  all,  and  said  : 

"  You  are  a  king  that  never  misses  fire,  as  I  do, 
and  so  I  give  you  my  hand  and  thank  you." 


THE  ASHBOY.  225 

But  that  was  not  enough,  so  he  gave  him  a  gold 
apple  that  was  even  more  beautiful  than  those  he 
had  given  his  sons-in-law. 

The  Ashboy  sent  his  troops  away  right  after 
this,  and  when  the  other  army  rode  home,  he 
stood  by  the  mud-hole  with  his  tumble-down  old 
horse. 

"  Look  at  him  ! "  cried  his  brothers-in-law. 
"  There  he  stands  with  his  frisky  colt.  We  have 
a  different  story  to  tell.  We  have  seen  something 
grander  than  you  will  ever  see." 

"  No  !  what  was  it  ?  "  asked  the  Ashboy. 

"  Well,  it  was  a  warrior  who  shone  like  the  sun, 
for  he  was  clad  in  pure,  glittering  gold,"  said  the 
others. 

"  Well,  I  may  just  as  well  see  him  sometime, 
too,"  said  the  Ashboy. 

A  little  while  after  this  the  Ashboy  wished  to 
find  out  what  kind  of  hearts  his  brothers-in-law 
had.  So  he  made  a  great  party  and  invited  the 
king  and  the  others  to  it,  but  they  did  not  come, 
for  they  thought  the  Ashboy 's  house  was  too  poor 
for  them.  His  wife,  the  youngest  princess,  was  so 
grieved  over  this  that  she  began  to  cry.  But  the 
Ashboy  said : 

"  If  you  will  not  cry  you  shall  see  something 
fine." 

Then  he  took  her  with  him,  first  to  the  copper 


226  THE  ASHBOY. 

castle,  then  to  the  silver  one,  and  finally  to  the  gold 
castle.  Then  she  was  clothed  in  the  finest  of  robes, 
like  the  first  of  queens.  After  that  the  Ashboy  put 
on  his  gold  armor  and  rode  to  the  king. 

There  was  great  excitement  at  the  castle  when 
they  saw  so  grand  a  lord  coming,  especially  as  the 
king  and  all  the  others  recognized  him  as  the  one 
who  had  helped  them  in  battle. 

After  they  had  greeted  him  as  distinguished 
people  do,  the  Ashboy  said : 

"  I  have  heard  that  you  were  invited  to  your 
youngest  son-in-law's,  but  would  not  go." 

"  I  was  willing  enough,  but  my  other  sons-in- 
law  would  not  allow  me  to  do  so,"  said  the  king, 
"  for  they  think  he  is  riot  distinguished  enough." 

"  That  was  shameful  of  them,"  said  the  Ashboy, 
"  but  as  I  am  going  there  no  one  can  think  it  is 
beneath  them." 

Both  the  king  and  his  other  sons-in-law  thought 
that  there  was  nothing  else  to  be  done,  when  so 
great  a  lord  did  not  consider  himself  too  good  to 
go  there,  so  they  went,  too.  But  the  Ashboy  went 
first,  alone. 

But  the  one  who  acted  as  guide  rode  before 
them  till  they  came  to  the  copper  castle,  and  the 
king  and  his  sons-in-law  thought  they  had  never 
seen  anything  so  grand  before.  The  people  here 
said  his  lord  and  ladyship  had  gone  to  the  silver 
castle. 


THE  ASHBOY.  227 

When  the  travelers  came  to  the  silver  castle, 
they  were  astounded  at  so  much  grandeur ;  but 
here  the  people  said  that  their  lord  and  lady  had 
gone  to  the  gold  castle,  so  the  guide  rode  thither 
and  the  royal  party  rode  after. 

But  when  they  reached  it  they  were  completely 
overcome,  for  they  had  never  thought  there  was  so 
much  magnificence  in  the  world;  and  the  best 
and  finest  of  all  three  castles  was  gathered  here. 

And  the  king  and  all  his  train  immediately 
recognized  the  youngest  princess,  who  was  clothed 
in  robes  of  gold ;  but  no  one  thought  the  grand 
knight  could  be  the  Ashboy.  Then  he  brought 
out  all  three  of  the  gold  apples  he  had  received, 
and  they  could  not  help  believing  him  when  he 
related  everything  that  had  happened. 

The  king  and  the  sons-in-law  suddenly  became 
very  obsequious  to  the  Ashboy,  who  prepared  the 
finest  banquet  they  had  ever  attended. 

After  that  time  the  Ashboy  and  his  queen  lived 
in  the  gold  castle,  and  he  reigned  as  king  over  all 
three  kingdoms  till  he  died,  after  which  they  were 
inherited  by  his  children. 


HOW  TRAFVA*  CHURCH  WAS  BUILT. 

WHEN  the  people  of  the  parish  of  Vestergylln 
were  going  to  build  a  church  at  Trafva,  there  was 
a  fearful  quarrel  about  where  the  church  should 
stand.  The  best  and  most  sensible  men  lived  then 
as  now,  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  and  they 
wanted  the  church  on  their  side.  On  the  north 
bank  there  lived  only  bad  people,  who  were  in 
league  with  hobgoblins  and  wizards,  yes,  some  even 
thought  they  were  on  good  terms  with  the  Evil  One 
himself.  And  they  insisted  with  all  their  might 
and  main,  that  the  church  should  stand  on  their 
side. 

So  many  parish  meetings  were  called  and  much 
talking  was  done,  but  they  could  not  come  to  any 
decision  about  it. 

At  last  the  peasants  wrote  to  the  king  and  asked 
him  to  settle  the  matter. 

He  took  the  part  of  the  sensible  peasants  who 
wanted  the  church  on  the  south  side  of  the  river, 
and  had  it  down  in  writing,  too. 

Now  the  other  peasants  were  obliged  to  agree 

*  Pronounced  Tro-ver. 

228 


HOW  TRAFVA   CHURCH   WAS   BUILT.        229 

to  this,  and  all  helped  drag  home  timber  and  such 
things  as  are  needed  for  building  a  church. 

They  kept  on  gathering  materials  for  two  years 
before  they  begun  to  build.  After  that,  when  the 
foundation  was  to  be  dug  and  laid,  the  peasants  on 
the  north  side  said  they  knew  well  enough  where 
the  church  was  to  stand. 

Now  when  the  south  side  peasants  woke  up  one 
morning,  they  saw  a  pile  of  timber  on  the  other 
side  of  the  river,  and  when  they  looked  into  the 
matter,  they  found  it  had  been  carried  from  their 
side.  They  began  about  as  quickly  as  possible  to 
carry  it  back  again,  on  an  oak  raft,  for  in  those 
days  there  was  no  bridge  over  the  river.  The  next 
night  the  timber  was  dragged  over  the  river  again, 
and  the  day  following,  the  south  side  peasants 
dragged  it  home  again. 

Now  a  couple  of  peasants  stood  watch  to  see 
who  it  was  that  carried  away  the  timber.  After 
awhile,  the  timber  began  to  crack,  and  when  they 
looked  at  it,  the}7  saw  a  whole  crowd  of  hobgob- 
lins dragging  the  building  materials  down  to  the 
river  and  over  to  the  other  side. 

At  first  the  peasants  were  a  little  afraid,  but  soon 
they  plucked  up  courage  to  ask  who  had  given 
them  leave  to  act  in  that  way.  Then  they  were 
surrounded  with  hobgoblins  on  all  sides,  and  re- 
ceived such  blows  and  boxes  on  the  ears  that  they 
were  glad  to  take  to  their  heels. 


230        HOW  TRAFVA   CHURCH   WAS  BUILT. 

Then  they  all  agreed,  those  peasants  on  the  south 
side,  to  club  together  and  try  to  drive  out  the  hob- 
goblins when  they  came  again. 

But  when  the  peasants  went  out,  the  whole  river 
was  full  of  sea  nymphs  and  hobgoblins,  so  they 
did  not  dare  to  go  near  them. 

The  hobgoblins  were  allowed  to  drag  the  timber 
over  as  fast  as  they  wanted  to,  and  the  peasants 
on  the  south  were  obliged  to  join  and  help  build 
the  church  on  the  north  bank  of  the  river.  After- 
wards, while  it  was  building,  they  heard  shouts 
from  the  river  the  whole  time : 

"  Trar  won,  trar  won,  trar  won ! "  *  (Meaning 
trollar  or  witches  won.) 

From  this  the  church  got  its  name  and  was  called 
Trafva,  and  the  parish  is  called  Trafva  parish  to 
this  day. 

*  Pronounced  Trore. 


KRAKPELSA.* 

(The  Swedish  version  of  Cinderella.') 

HAVE  you  ever  heard  about  Krakpelsa?  She 
was  a  human  being,  like  other  folks,  though  people 
did  think  she  was  so  stupid  that  she  was  good  for 
nothing. 

Once  the  people  in  the  house  where  she  lived, 
went  to  church  to  see  a  wedding,  and  as  somebody 
had  to  stay  at  home,  it  was  Krakpelsa,  of  course. 
As  she  sat  alone  after  they  had  gone,  she  became 
very  unhappy.  But  just  then  there  came  a  witch 
out  of  the  mountain,  and  she  thought  it  was  not 
right  for  the  girl  to  sit  alone  so,  but  took  her  and 
dressed  her  in  a  white  gown  and  made  her  look 
wonderfully  fine  ;  then  she  sent  her  to  the  church. 
The  people  in  the  church  did  not  recognize  her, 
but  thought  she  was  so  grand  that  they  forgot  to 
look  at  the  bridal  pair.  But  when  they  came  out 
of  the  church,  they  were  lost  in  amazement,  for 
there  stood  her  horse  waiting  for  her,  and  she 
sprang  to  its  back  as  lightly  as  a  cat,  saying  : 

*  Pronounced  Croak-peli>a. 

231 


232  KRAKPELSA. 

"  White  before  me,  black  behind  me,  none  shall 
see  where  they  can  find  me !  " 

When  the  people  came  home,  Krakpelsa  sat  in 
the  same  place  as  when  they  went ;  and  they  could 
not  talk  of  anything  else  but  the  person  they  had 
seen  at  the  church. 

The  next  Sunday  the  whole  family  went  to 
church  again,  and  Krakpelsa  had  to  stay  at  home. 
They  thought  that  perhaps  she  might  try  to  follow 
them ;  so  they  threw  a  box  of  salt  in  the  ashes, 
and  told  her  to  pick  it  out.  As  she  sat  there  weep- 
ing over  this  difficult  task,  the  mountain  witch 
came  in  again,  and  this  time  clothed  Krakpelsa 
finer  than  before.  She  put  silver  shoes  on  her 
feet  and  her  dress  was  made  of  silver  threads. 

She  then  rode  to  church  again,  and  every  single 
one  turned  and  twisted  the  head  so  to  look  at  her, 
they  all  came  near  forgetting  where  they  were. 
But  when  she  came  out,  she  did  the  same  as  the 
first  time,  and  no  one  knew  where  she  went. 
Then  they  planned  a  trap  to  catch  her,  and  so 
they  put  a  piece  of  tar  on  the  threshold  where  she 
would  get  fastened  in  it. 

Now  when  Sunday  came  the  same  thing  hap- 
pened. Krakpelsa  was  to  stay  at  home  and  pick 
up  a  box  of  peas  out  of  the  ashes.  But  she  had 
not  been  alone  long,  before  the  old  witch  came  in 
and  dressed  her  so  magnificently  that  there  was 
never  anything  equal  to  it.  Her  shoes  were  of 


KRAKPELSA.  233 

pure  gold  and  so  was  her  dress.  But  just  think  ! 
when  she  came  out  of  the  church  she  was  so  care- 
less as  to  step  on  the  tar,  and  so  one  shoe  remained 
fastened  in  it !  and  every  one  was  eager  to  see  the 
shoe,  for  it  was  so  peculiar  and  so  small.  Among 
the  people  there,  was  a  prince,  and  he  said  the  one 
whom  the  shoe  fitted  should  become  his  bride. 

It  was  not  so  easy  to  become  a  princess,  how- 
ever, because  no  matter  how  they  pinched  and 
pushed,  the  shoe  was  too  small  for  them  all. 

But  the  woman  where  Krakpelsa  lived  was  so 
terribly  anxious  to  have  one  of  her  daughters 
wedded  to  a  prince,  that  she  cut  the  heels  and 
toes  off  one  of  them,  the  cruel  creature !  and  then 
the  shoe  went  on  and  the  girl  was  to  be  the  prince's 
bride,  and  they  all  set  out  for  the  church  where 
the  priest  was  to  marry  them. 

As  they  were  riding  along,  the  birds  sitting  in 
the  forest  sang :  "  Mangled  heel,  mangled  toes ! 
home  sits  the  true  one,  every  bird  knows  !  " 

u  What  are  they  saying  in  the  woods  ?  "  asked 
the  prince. 

"  Oh !  that  is  only  the  birds  singing,"  said  the 
one  who  was  to  be  his  bride. 

The  prince  thought  something  was  wrong,  and 
so  he  rode  back ;  but  he  could  not  find  any  one 
that  the  shoe  fitted,  for  the  wicked  woman  had 
found  out  that  the  shoe  fitted  Krakpelsa  and  hud 
hidden  her  under  a  tub  in  the  garden. 


234  KRAKPELSA. 

When  the  prince  could  not  find  her,  he  thought 
the  girl  had  told  him  the  truth,  and  they  started 
for  the  priest  again.  But  now  a  voice  sounded 
from  every  bush,  louder  than  before:  "Mangled 
heel,  mangled  toe !  in  the  garden  hidden,  as  you 
should  know ! " 

Then  the  prince  went  back  again,  and  made  a 
thorough  search  of  the  garden.  Finally  he  found 
Krakpelsa  under  the  tub  ;  the  shoe  fitted  her,  as  we 
all  know.  Krakpelsa  became  a  regular  princess, 
and  neither  the  wicked  woman  nor  her  daughter 
got  anything  for  their  trouble. 


THE  WISE  DOG. 

IN  a  little  village  lived  a  poor  couple  who  had 
t\vo  children,  a  boy  and  a  girl.  When  the  parents 
died,  the  children  were  to  divide  what  was  left, 
and  that  was  only  a  cow  and  a  dog.  In  those 
days  a  brother  inherited  more  than  a  sister,  so  the 
boy  took  the  cow  and  the  dog  was  left  for  the  girl. 
She  cried  and  moaned  and  said  : 

"  How  can  I  live  with  nothing  but  a  dog  ? " 
But  there  was  no  help  for  it ;  she  did  not  get 
more.  Those  were  the  days  when  animals  could 
talk,  so  when  the  girl  was  left  alone  with  the  dog, 
he  said : 

"  Do  not  grieve,  dear  girl,  but  take  me  with  you 
and  we  will  go  out  and  wander  in  the  world." 

After  they  had  gone  some  distance  they  came  to 
a  store.  Then  the  dog  said  :  "  Now  you  must  go  in 
and  ask  for  cloth  for  three  dresses." 

When  the  cloth  was  measured  off,  the  dog  took 
a  gold  coin  he  had  picked  up  on  the  road  and  laid 
it  on  the  counter.  Then  he  took  the  cloth  in  his 
mouth  and  ran  with  it  to  the  dressmaker,  and  she 
made  three  fine  dresses. 

235 


236  THE  WISE   DOG. 

Then  he  did  the  same  at  the  shoemaker's,  and  so 
the  girl  had  shoes. 

After  they  had  walked  a  long  time  they  came  to  a 
great  king's  castle,  and  the  dog  told  the  girl  she  must 
beg  to  stay  there  over  night.  The  girl  did  so,  and 
the  queen  had  a  bed  of  straw  made  for  her  in  a 
chamber.  After  she  had  lain  down,  the  dog  said : 

"  When  they  come  in  to-morrow  morning  with 
coffee,  you  must  say  that  you  think  you  must  have 
been  lying  on  peas,  because  you  are  so  lame  all 
over  that  you  are  not  able  to  get  up." 

And  when  the  maid  servant  came  in,  the  girl 
said  what  the  dog  had  told  her.  Then  the  maid 
servant  told  the  queen  she  thought  it  must  be  a 
real  princess,  when  she  was  so  sensitive. 

Now  there  was  a  young  prince  in  the  castle,  and 
when  he  saw  the  girl,  he  thought  she  was  more 
beautiful  than  any  one  he  had  ever  seen,  and  he 
wished  to  marry  her.  But  the  king  and  queen 
wished  to  know  first  what  sort  of  a  person  she  was ; 
but  they  did  not  succeed,  for  the  dog  said  : 

"  You  must  not  say  whether  you  are  high  or  low 
born,  rich  or  poor."  And  the  girl  did  as  he  said. 

When  the  queen  could  not  find  out  where  the 
girl  came  from,  she  said  : 

"  We  will  let  her  walk  through  the  green  alley  ; 
it  is  muddy  there,  and  if  she  lifts  up  her  dress,  she 
is  of  common  folks,  but  if  she  lets  it  drag,  as  we 
do,  then  is  she  of  distinguished  family." 


THE   WISE  DOG.  237 

But  the  girl  followed  the  dog's  advice  once 
more,  and  walked  along  without  looking  at  her 
feet,  so  the  dress  dragged  in  the  mud.  Then  all 
saw  clearly,  that  the  girl  was  a  great  man's 
daughter,  and  they  consented  to  the  marriage 
which  the  prince  so  much  desired.  But  they 
wished  first  to  visit  her  home,  so  the  dog  said : 

"  Now  the  king  and  queen  are  going  to  your 
home  ;  let  them  go,  but  follow  my  advice  and  do 
not  tell  them  a  thing." 

The  dog  ran  ahead,  and  soon  he  met  a  shepherd 
tending  sheep. 

"  If  any  one  asks  you  who  is  the  owner  of  the 
sheep,  you  must  say  they  belong  to  the  young 
bride  to  be,"  said  the  dog  to  the  shepherd.  "  If 
you  do  that,  you  shall  have  a  silver  knife  and  fork." 

The  shepherd  promised  to  do  as  the  dog  said. 

Then  he  met  a  shepherd  tending  goats,  then 
one  tending  cows,  and  finally,  one  with  horses; 
and  to  all  of  them  he  said  the  same  as  to  the  first 
one  ;  and  the  court  people  were  amazed  at  the 
possessions  of  the  princess. 

At  last  the  dog  came  to  a  fine  great  castle,  where 
a  giant  lived,  and  he  was  the  one  who  owned  all 
the  cattle  they  had  seen  on  the  way. 

"What  do  you  want?"  said  the  giant,  and  was 
going  to  eat  up  the  dog. 

"  If  I  were  you,  I  should  rather  eat  up  the  maiden 
who  is  dancing  behind  you,"  said  the  dog. 


238  THE  WISE  DOG. 

Then  the  giant  forgot  himself  and  looked  back 
and  caught  sight  of  the  sun,  which  was  just  that 
instant  rising.  And  then  he  flew  all  to  pieces, 
for  giants  cannot  look  on  the  sun  and  live.  The 
dog  then  carried  away  the  remains  of  the  giant 
and  put  everything  in  order  to  receive  the  king's 
train,  and  they  were  all  very  glad,  but  especially 
the  girl,  when  they  heard  that  the  stately  castle 
belonged  to  her. 

Now  everything  was  arranged  so  well,  the  dog 
said  to  the  girl : 

"  I  have  served  you  faithfully,  now  you  must  do 
me  a  service.  Will  you  promise  to  do  it,  no  matter 
what  it  is  ?  " 

Yes,  the  girl  promised  solemnly  to  do  it. 

"  Take  a  little  block,  an  ax  and  a  stick  and 
follow  me  to  the  grove  over  yonder,"  said  the  dog. 

The  girl  did  as  the  dog  told  her.  When  they 
had  reached  the  grove,  the  dog  said  : 

"  Now  chop  off  my  head,  stir  the  blood  in  the 
spring,  and  then  throw  my  body  into  it." 

"  That  would  be  repaying  your  service  very 
badly,"  replied  the  girl.  "  I  cannot  do  it !  " 

"  You  must  do  what  I  tell  JTOU,"  said  the  dog, 
"  else  a  great  misfortune  will  befall  me.  After- 
wards stand  beside  the  spring  a  few  minutes,  and 
you  will  see  what  will  happen." 

Well,  there  was  no  help  for  it,  and  with  stream- 
ing eyes,  the  girl  did  as  the  dog  commanded  her. 


THE  WISE  DOG.  239 

But  when  she  had  stood  beside  the  spring  sev- 
eral minutes,  the  water  began  to  bubble  and  rise, 
and  up  came  the  most  beautiful  prince  one  could 
wish  to  see.  He  said  that  once  when  he  was  out 
wandering,  he  came  to  the  castle  and  the  giant 
bewitched  him  and  changed  him  into  a  dog.  If 
the  girl  had  not  chopped  off  his  head,  he  would 
never  have  escaped  from  the  spell,  but  would  have 
remained  a  dog  to  the  end  of  the  world.  When 
he  went  up  to  the  castle  with  the  princess,  there 
was  great  rejoicing,  you  can  believe. 


THE  PRINCE  WHO  FOUND  THE  MIRROR 
OF   YOUTH. 

MANY  years  ago  there  lived  a  king  who  had 
three  sons  ;  he  thought  a  great  deal  of  the  eldest 
two,  but  the  youngest  was  as  good  as  forgotten, 
so  he  was  out  in  the  woods  and  fields  nearly  all 
day  long. 

When  the  king  had  grown  quite  old,  his  health 
failed  him,  and  he  longed  to  be  strong  again,  of 
course ;  and  he  could  become  so,  if  only  lie  could 
look  into  the  mirror  of  youth,  so  the  court  doctor 
had  said  ;  but  neither  he  nor  any  one  in  the  land, 
knew  where  that  mirror  was  to  be  found. 

Then  the  king  told  his  eldest  two  sons  that 
they  must  go  out  into  the  world  and  try  to  find 
the  mirror  of  youth  for  him,  and  they  set  out  at 
once. 

Then  the  youngest  son  begged  that  he  might 
go  out  and  search  with  them,  and  finally  he  was 
allowed  to  go,  for  the  king  thought  he  was  of  no 
use  at  home,  so  he  might  as  well  go  out  into  the 
world. 

After  the  three  brothers  had  traveled  three  days, 

240 


THE  MIRROR   OF   YOUTH.  241 

they  came  to  a  place  where  the  road  divided  into 
two,  and  there  sat  a  rat  on  a  stump. 

"  Go  to  the  left,  go  to  the  left,"  it  piped  to  the 
princes.  The  road  to  the  left  was  narrow,  stony 
and  hilly,  and  full  of  difficulties,  but  the  one  to  the 
right  was  the  royal  highway. 

"  What  nonsense  you  talk  !  "  said  the  eldest 
prince.  "  Is  that  the  road  for  a  prince  ?  "  His 
next  brother  thought  as  he  did,  so  they  rode  out  to 
the  right. 

"  Go  to  the  left,  go  to  the  left,"  piped  the  rat. 

The  youngest  prince,  who  rode  last,  thought 
that  the  rat  gave  good  advice,  perhaps,  so  he  fol- 
lowed it  and  rode  to  the  left.  The  way  was  hard 
and  troublesome,  but  the  prince  did  not  mind  that, 
so  he  rode  on.  When  he  had  ridden  three  days 
and  three  nights,  he  came  to  a  hut  where  an  old 
woman  was  standing  on  the  steps. 

"Good  day,  dear  mother,"  said  the  prince  in 
greeting.  "  Can  you  tell  me  where  I  can  find  the 
mirror  of  youth  ?  " 

"That  know  I  not,"  said  the  old  woman,  "  but  I 
will  ask  the  trees." 

With  this  she  blew  on  a  pipe,  and  all  the  trees 
of  the  forest  gathered  around,  and  she  asked  them 
about  the  mirror  of  youth,  but  not  a  tree  knew 
anything  about  it. 

"  My  sister  lives  further  on,"  said  the  old 
woman.  "  She  has  power  over  all  the  beasts  of 


242  THE  MIBBOB   OF  YOUTH. 

the  field ;  perhaps  she  may  know  something  about 
it." 

The  prince  said  farewell  and  rode  three  days  and 
three  nights  more,  and  the  road  grew  worse  than 
before.  Finally  he  came  to  another  hut  and  there 
stood  an  old  woman,  older  than  the  first. 

"Good  day,  dear  mother,"  said  the  prince. 
"  Can  you  tell  me  where  the  mirror  of  youth  is  to 
be  found  ?  " 

"  That  know  I  not,"  said  the  woman, "  but  I  will 
ask  the  beasts  of  the  field." 

Then  she  blew  on  a  pipe  and  all  the  beasts  of  the 
field  gathered  around,  but  not  one  knew  anything 
about  the  mirror  of  youth. 

"  My  sister  lives  further  on,"  said  the  woman. 
"  She  has  power  over  all  the  birds  of  the  air ; 
perhaps  she  knows  something  about  it." 

The  prince  said  farewell  and  rode  on.  But  now 
the  road  grew  worse  —  yes,  so  bad,  that  no  one  ever 
saw  such  a  road,  and  the  prince  was  almost  tired 
out.  But  at  last  he  came  to  a  hut  where  an  old 
woman  stood  on  the  steps.  And  the  old  woman 
was  very  old,  yes,  so  old,  that  she  must  have  lived 
a  hundred  years,  and  more  besides. 

"  Good  day,  grandmother,"  said  the  prince. 
"  Can  you  tell  me  where  the  mirror  of  youth  is  to 
be  found  ?  " 

"  That  know  I  not,"  said  the  aged  woman,  "  but 
I  will  ask  the  birds  of  the  air." 


THE  MIRROR   OF   YOUTH.  243 

So  she  blew  on  her  pipe,  and  all  the  birds  of  the 
air  gathered  around,  but  not  one  knew  anything 
about  the  mirror. 

"  Perhaps  the  eagle  knows  something,"  said  the 
sparrow.  "  He  is  not  here  yet." 

Then  the  eagle  came. 

"  Do  you  know  where  the  mirror  of  youth  is  to 
be  found?"  asked  the  woman. 

"  Yes,  that  I  know,"  replied  the  eagle.  "  It 
hangs  in  Giant  Ironhand's  castle,  but  no  living 
being  dares  go  there,  for  not  one  of  them  who  have 
gone  there  has  ever  come  back." 

"  But  I  dare  to  go  there,  I  do,"  said  the  prince, 
"  if  only  you  will  show  me  the  way." 

"  If  you  will  go,  then  seat  yourself  on  my  back," 
said  the  eagle ;  "  but  blame  yourself  for  whatever 
may  happen."  And  so  the  prince  mounted  the 
eagle's  back,  and  they  sailed  away  through  the 
air  —  far,  far  away.  When,  after  three  days  and 
three  nights,  they  found  the  castle,  the  eagle  said  : 

"  The  mirror  you  are  seeking  hangs  in  the 
farthest  wing  of  the  palace.  On  the  mirror's  edge 
sits  a  drop  which  shines  like  clearest  crystal.  If 
your  hand  should  tremble  ever  so  little,  the  drop 
will  fall  off,  and  your  luck  will  vanish.  In  order 
to  come  out  of  the  palace  alive,  do  not  touch  a 
single  thing,  but  come  out  immediately  with  the 
mirror,  so  we  can  fly  away,  for  the  Giant  Ironhand 
will  wake  up  soon." 


244  THE   MIRROR   OF   YOUTH. 

The  prince  promised  to  do  as  the  eagle  said,  and 
then  he  went  into  the  palace,  through  many,  many- 
halls  and  rooms.  Finally  he  came  into  a  large 
hall,  and  there  hung  the  mirror  over  a  conch.  The 
prince  took  down  the  mirror,  and  the  drop  which 
shone  so  clearly  shook,  and  came  near  falling,  and 
if  the  prince  had  trembled  ever  so  little,  it  would 
have  done  so. 

As  the  prince  was  going  out,  he  happened  to 
see  that  the  most  beautiful  princess  he  had  ever 
beheld  was  lying  on  the  couch.  He  stopped  and 
looked  at  her,  and  she  was  so  marvelously  beauti- 
ful that  the  prince  forgot  what  the  eagle  had  told 
him,  and  bent  down  and  touched  her  cheek.  The 
instant  he  did  this,  a  sound  like  a  pistol  shot  met 
his  ear,  but  the  prince  did  not  think  that  was 
dangerous,  so  his  hand  did  not  tremble  at  all. 

After  he  had  looked  at  the  princess  a  little  while, 
he  thought  he  would  like  to  stroke  her  golden 
ringlets,  so  he  did  so.  But  now  it  sounded  in  his 
ear  like  a  strong  rifle  shot.  Just  think !  the  prince 
was  not  frightened  a  particle  and  the  drop  remained 
sitting  on  the  mirror.  But  the  prince  was  not  able 
to  leave  the  princess  before  he  had  kissed  her  hand, 
and  so  he  did  that,  of  course.  But  now  he  seemed 
to  hear  the  worst  cannon  shot. 

"  I  believe  it  sounds  louder  each  time,"  said  the 
prince,  and  then  he  remembered  that  the  eagle 
was  waiting  outside. 


THE  MIRROB  OF  YOUTH.         245 

When  the  prince  came  out,  the  eagle  had  aban- 
doned all  hope  ;  but  when  it  saw  the  drop  on  the 
edge  of  the  mirror,  it  became  cheerful  again,  took 
the  prince  on  its  back,  and  set  out  at  a  rapid  pace. 
It  was  high  time,  for  the  giant  came  out  and  threw 
great  stones  after  them,  but  did  not  hit  them,  for 
they  were  so  far  away  that  the  giant  could  not 
sight  them  right. 

As  they  now  came  to  the  sea,  the  eagle  shot 
like  an  arrow  into  the  water,  so  the  prince's  feet 
were  under  the  waves. 

"  Are  you  frightened  ?  "  asked  the  eagle. 

"My  heart  beats  a  little  louder,"  said  the 
prince. 

"  Just  so  frightened  was  I  when  you  touched 
the  princess's  cheek,"  said  the  eagle. 

By  and  by  the  eagle  shot  down  into  the  water  so 
deep  that  the  prince  was  under  the  waves  up  to  his 
waist. 

"  Were  you  frightened  ?  "  asked  the  eagle. 

"  Yes  ;  I  was  a  little  startled,"  said  the  prince. 

"  Just  so  frightened  was  I  when  you  stroked  the 
princess's  ringlets,"  said  the  eagle. 

Now  when  the  eagle  had  flown  a  little  further, 
he  dipped  down  for  the  third  time,  so  the  water 
came  up  to  the  prince's  ears. 

"Were  you  frightened  ?"  asked  the  eagle. 

"  Yes  ;  I  was  so  terribly  frightened,  you  could 
have  bought  me  for  a  farthing." 


246  THE  MIRROR   OF   YOUTH. 

"  Just  so  frightened  was  I  when  you  kissed  the 
princess's  hand,"  said  the  eagle. 

After  they  had  traveled  three  days  and  three 
nights,  they  came  to  the  eldest  of  the  three  old 
women,  and  there  the  prince  thanked  the  eagle  for 
its  pleasant  company  on  the  journey,  and  thanked 
the  old  woman  for  her  trouble,  and  then  rode  home 
to  the  castle. 

When  he  reached  it,  the  two  elder  brothers  were 
already  there,  but  neither  of  them  had  found  the 
mirror,  of  course.  But  when  it  was  found  that  the 
youngest  prince  had  it,  he  was  much  honored,  and 
looked  upon  as  a  good-for-nothing  no  longer ;  and 
when  the  king  saw  himself  in  the  mirror  he  became 
strong  again. 

But  the  princess,  whom  the  prince  kissed,  had 
lain  in  an  enchanted  sleep,  which  was  now  broken  by 
the  prince,  and  she  escaped  from  the  giant.  When 
she  came  home,  the  king  and  queen  in  the  king- 
dom were  dead,  to  her  great  sorrow,  for  they  were 
her  father  and  mother.  She  had  to  reign  now 
every  day,  from  morning  to  night,  and  it  was  very 
fatiguing.  Then  she  wished  so  much  to  marry, 
but  she  wished  to  have  a  prince  who  was  a  brave 
man.  Then  she  remembered  the  one  who  had 
kissed  her  in  the  giant's  castle,  and  she  thought: 

"  I  will  have  that  one  !  " 

But  first  she  wished  to  test  him,  so  she  took  her 
whole  army  and  began  to  make  war  upon  the 


THE  MIRROR   OF   YOUTH.  247 

prince's  father ;  so  it  was  dreadful ;  and  as  his  king- 
dom was  smaller  than  that  of  the  princess,  he  drew 
all  his  troops  within  the  city,  for  it  had  both  walls 
and  towers. 

Then  the  princess  sent  a  message  to  the  king 
that  he  must  send  his  son  out  to  her,  and  they  would 
sign  a  declaration  of  peace.  She  had  the  finest 
red  cloth  laid  from  the  city  gate  to  her  throne,  and 
strewed  gold  rings  on  it.  And  half-way  there  she 
had  warriors  stationed,  who  kept  up  a  terrible 
firing  over  the  path  covered  by  the  red  cloth. 

First  came  the  eldest  prince.  He  thought  it 
was  a  pity  to  ride  on  the  red  cloth,  so  let  his  horse 
go  beside  it ;  and  when  he  noticed  the  gold  rings, 
he  picked  up  as  many  as  he  could  and  put  them 
in  his  pockek  But  when  he  saw  how  fearfully 
the  soldiers  were  firing,  he  grew  frightened  and 
rode  into  the  woods. 

Then  the  king  sent  the  second  son  in  order. 
He  rode  on  the  cloth  and  did  not  mind  the  rings, 
but  when  he  came  to  where  the  soldiers  were  firing, 
he,  too,  became  frightened,  and  rode  to  the  woods, 
as  his  brother  had  done. 

Last  of  all,  the  youngest  prince  rode  out.  He 
rode  on  the  cloth,  so  it  flew  into  small  bits,  and 
the  gold  rings  hopped ;  and  when  he  came  to  the 
warriors,  who  were  firing,  he  rode  past  them  like 
a  whirlwind,  and  did  not  wink  once,  when  the 
balls  piped  around  his  ears. 


248  THE   MIRROR    OP    YOUTH. 

When  he  caught  sight  of  the  princess,  he  recog- 
nized her  immediately,  and  jumped  off  his  horse. 
Then  he  sprang  up  on  the  throne,  fell  on  his  knees 
and  kissed  the  princess's  hand. 

"This  is  the  right  one,"  said  the  princess,  and  so 
made  peace  with  the  king,  but  he  and  the  queen 
got  their  heads  all  in  a  whirl,  trying  to  have  the 
wedding  ready  as  soon  as  the  prince  and  princess 
wished  to  have  it.  But  afterwards  they  lived 
happily  all  their  days. 


THE    PEASANT    WIFE    WHO    WAS     SO 
DISCONTENTED. 

THERE  was  once  a  peasant,  who  had  a  wife ; 
and  she  was  so  discontented  with  everything  they 
had  that  she  complained  all  the  time  and  grew  very 
cross.  When  she  went  out  into  the  farmyard  and 
looked  at  their  cows,  she  thought  they  were  miser- 
able creatures  compared  to  other  cows.  When  she 
sat  with  her  husband  to  eat,  she  thought  the  food 
and  the  plates  were  wretched,  that  the  kitchen 
was  too  small  and  the  fields  not  large  enough. 
She  wanted  everything  as  good  as  the  richest  in, 
the  parish,  you  may  believe. 

One  Christmas  Eve,  there  came  walking  into  the 
kitchen,  a  woman  who  looked  very  peculiar.  It 
was  no  other  than  the  old  witch  who  had  her  abode 
in  the  high  hill  over  beyond  the  pasture. 

The  old  peasant  woman  was  standing  beside  the 
stove,  cooking  Christmas  porridge  and  muttering 
as  usual,  of  course.  But  the  witch,  who  was  one 
of  the  good-natured  sort,  spoke  to  the  peasant 
couple  and  said : 

"  As  long  as  Lisa  here "  —  that   was   the   old 

249 


250      THE  DISCONTENTED   PEASANT'S   WIFE. 

peasant  woman,  you  must  know  —  "  is  not  satis- 
fied with  the  way  things  are,  you  may  wish  for 
three  things  and  you  shall  have  them.  But  think 
well  for  eight  days  before  you  wish  for  the  first, 
so  you  may  wish  wisely."  With  this  the  witch 
disappeared. 

Lisa  was  beside  herself  with  delight,  you  may 
know,  and  pondered  all  Christmas  Eve  and  Christ- 
mas day  over  what  she  should  wish  for  herself. 
But  at  night,  when  she  put  the  potatoes  on  the 
supper  table,  she  thought  the  sausages  were  not 
good  enough  for  her,  so  she  said : 

"  If  only  a  body  had  a  fine,  great  sausage  !  "  and 
immediately  a  great  sausage  appeared  on  the  platter 
before  her.  But  this  made  the  old  man  angry  to 
see  her  so  dissatisfied,  so  he  said  : 

"  I  wish  the  sausage  were  hanging  on  your  nose, 
I  do  ! "  At  once  the  sausage  was  hanging  on 
Lisa's  nose,  and  the  old  man  was  not  strong 
enough  to  pull  it  off. 

Now,  for  the  first  time  they  remembered,  that 
they  had  already  made  two  wishes,  and  so  had 
only  one  left.  But  what  good  would  it  do  the  old 
woman  to  be  ever  so  rich,  if  she  had  to  go  around 
with  a  sausage  hanging  on  her  nose  all  her  days  ? 

So  the  old  man  was  obliged  to  wish  the  sausage 
off  again,  and  then  they  were  just  as  rich  as  they 
were  to  start  with,  as  any  one  can  guess. 


THE  TWELVE  ENCHANTED  PRINCESSES. 

MANX"  years  ago  there  reigned  a  king  who  had 
twelve  daughters  and  when  he  consulted  a  wise 
old  woman,  to  know  if  he  should  not  have  a  son, 
she  said : 

"  There  will  be  only  the  twelve  princesses  and 
if  they  go  out  under  the  open  sky  before  the 
youngest  one  is  fifteen  years  old,  the  goblin  will 
steal  them  all." 

The  king  believed  the  old  woman,,  so  he  decided 
to  have  the  princesses  well  watched  ;  he  placed 
a  guard  over  each  one  of  them  and  gave  them 
strict  orders  not  to  let  their  charges  go  out. 

So  they  were  kept  indoors  till  the  day  before 
the  youngest  one  was  fifteen  years  old  ;  but  that 
day  it  was  such  beautiful  weather  and  the  sun 
shone  so  brightly  over  the  garden,  that  they  begged 
for  dear  life  to  be  allowed  to  go  out.  At  first  the 
guardians  said  no,  but  at  last  gave  their  consent 
to  their  walking  a  short  time  in  the  garden.  To 
make  sure  they  were  safe,  each  guardian  took  a 
princess  by  the  hand.  But  as  soon  as  they  were 
out  of  doors,  there  came  a  great  cloud  and  all  the 

251 


252      THE  TWELVE   ENCHANTED  PRINCESSES. 

princesses  disappeared.  The  guardians  were  terri- 
fied, as  was  natural,  and  eleven  of  them  fled  to  the 
woods  ;  only  the  twelfth  remained  behind  and  told 
the  king  what  had  happened.  Then  the  king  had 
word  given  out  in  all  the  churches,  that  those  who 
could  find  the  princesses  should  also  marry  them. 

Now,  in  the  neighboring  country  there  lived  a 
king  who  had  twelve  sons.  The  youngest  one 
went  to  the  other  king  and  asked  him  if  he  would 
fulfill  the  promise  he  had  made. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  king,  "  I  surely  will." 

"  We  are  twelve  brothers  at  home,"  said  the 
prince,  "  and  we  intend  to  go  out  and  seek  the 
princesses." 

The  king  now  fitted  out  a  large  ship  with  every- 
thing necessary*  and  the  princes  sailed  out  on  the 
angry  sea. 

"Which  way  shall  we  steer?"  asked  the  captain. 

"  Let  the  ship  go  where  the  wind  will  blow  it," 
said  the  youngest  prince. 

After  they  had  sailed  this  way  for  a  while,  the 
food  began  to  give  out.  Then  the  youngest  prince 
went  up  into  the  tallest  mast  and  saw  a  high 
mountain  away  to  the  south,  and  he  bade  the  cap- 
tain steer  in  that  direction.  When  they  reached 
the  mountain  the  youngest  prince  said  they  must 
go  ashore  ;  but  his  brothers  would  not  do  this,  and 
told  him  he  might  go  alone,  as  long  as  he  had 
arranged  the  journey. 


THE  TWELVE  ENCHANTED   PRINCESSES.    253 

So  the  youngest  prince  went  ashore  and  came  to 
a  great  garden  ;  as  he  went  in  through  the  gate,  he 
saw  eleven  pillars  of  the  most  beautiful  mother-of- 
pearl.  The  prince  kept  on  and  entered  a  room 
where  there  were  four  silver  doors.  He  went 
straight  ahead,  and  came  to  a  room  where  a  lovely 
princess  sat  sewing.  When  she  saw  the  prince,  she 
was  both  glad  and  sorry,  and  said : 

"  How  does  it  happen  that  you  are  here  ?  " 

"  I  am  searching  for  twelve  stolen  princesses," 
said  he. 

"I  am  the  youngest  of  them,"  said  she,  "and  the 
eleven  pillars  of  rnother-of-pearl  are  my  sisters. 
But  the  mountain  king  who  stole  us  will  come 
home  soon  and  he  will  kill  you." 

"  Can  you  not  think  of  an  escape  ? "  said  the 
prince. 

"  Creep  under  the  bed,  but  listen  carefully  to 
what  he  says." 

Very  soon  the  whole  ground  shook,  and  the 
mountain  king  came  in.  Then  the  princess  pricked 
her  finger,  so  some  drops  of  blood  fell  on  the  floor. 

"I  smell  Christian  blood,"  said  the  giant. 

"  That  is  because  I  pricked  my  finger,"  said  the 
princess. 

The  giant  tasted  the  blood  and  called  for  food. 
After  he  had  eaten  he  lay  down  and  slept.  When 
he  had  been  asleep  awhile,  the  princess  thrust  her 
elbow  into  his  side,  so  he  awoke. 


254    THE  TWELVE  ENCHANTED  PEINCLSSES. 

"  What  is  that? "  asked  the  giant. 

"  I  thought  some  one  was  coming  to  take  your 
life,"  said  the  princess. 

"  Oh !  there  is  no  danger,"  said  the  giant. 

By  and  by  she  struck  him  in  the  side  again, 
harder  than  the  first  time. 

"  What  is  it  now  ?  "  asked  the  giant. 

"  Now  I  hear  plainer  still  that  some  one  is  com- 
ing to  kill  you." 

After  he  fell  asleep  again,  she  pushed  him  with 
all  her  might,  in  his  side. 

"  Now,  what  is  it  again  ?  Cannot  you  let  me 
sleep  in  peace  ?  "  asked  the  giant. 

"  Now  I  am  certain  that  some  one  is  going  to 
kill  you,"  said  she,  "  and  I  cannot  keep  quiet." 

"There  is  no  danger,"  said  he,  "for  the  one  who 
can  take  my  life,  must  first  find  my  heart,  and  that 
lies  in  an  egg ;  the  egg  lies  in  a  duck,  the  duck  lies 
in  a  pond,  the  pond  lies  in  a  great  church,  the 
church  lies  on  an  island,  and  the  island  lies  in  a 
lake  of  blood." 

Now  he  was  allowed  to  sleep  in  peace,  and  when 
daylight  came,  he  went  away. 

"  Did  you  hear  that  there  is  no  help  for  me  ?  " 
asked  the  princess. 

"  But  I  shall  try,"  said  the  prince.  So  she  gave 
him  three  ducats  and  a  penknife,  and  he  went  his 
way. 

Towards  evening  he  came  to  a  little  hut  in  the 


THE  TWELVE   ENCHANTED   PRINCESSES.    255 

forest,  and  there  lived  a  woman  with  a  nose  so  long 
that  she  could  shut  the  door  with  it.  The  woman 
was  kind-hearted,  and  the  moment  she  saw  the 
prince  she  said : 

"  So,  so !  a  prince  is  coming  this  way.  You. 
have  undertaken  a  hard  task,  and  I  cannot  do 
much  for  you,  but  further  on,  in  the  woods,  lives 
a  sister  of  mine,  who  can  do  more,  perhaps." 

In  the  morning  when  he  was  going  on  with  his 
journey,  she  gave  him  a  bird  whose  name  was  Frost. 

"  That  may  be  useful  to  you  on  the  way,"  said 
the  woman.  "But  when  you  come  back,  I  want 
it  again." 

Then  the  prince  gave  her  a  ducat  and  went  on. 
In  the  evening  he  came  to  the  second  woman,  and 
she  had  a  nose  so  long  that  she  could  lift  the  sauce- 
pan off  with  it. 

"  You  have  been  at  my  sister's,  I  see,"  said  she, 
"  and  as  she  has  given  you  her  help,  I  will  give 
you  mine,  too." 

So  she  gave  him  a  bird  called  Thaw. 

"  It  will  be  of  use  to  you  on  the  way,"  said  she. 
"  But  when  you  come  back,  I  want  it  again.  My 
other  sister  lives  further  on  in  the  forest;  she  is 
wiser  than  I  and  can  help  you  more  than  I  can." 

So  the  prince  gave  her  a  ducat,  too,  and  went 
on.  That  evening  he  came  to  a  woman  whose  nosy 
\v:is  so  long  that  she  could  use  it  for  a  whip.  She 
said  to  the  prince  : 


256     THE   TWELVE   ENCHANTED   PRINCESSES. 

"  Now  are  you  soon  there,  for  close  by  lies  the 
lake,  and  as  my  sisters  have  helped  you,  so  will  I. 
You  shall  have  a  bird  called  Pursuer,  but  I  want 
it  back,  when  you  come  again." 

Then  the  prince  gave  her  the  last  ducat  and 
went  his  way. 

After  he  came  to  the  lake,  he  did  not  know  what 
to  do  first,  but  thought  he  would  try  with  Frost. 
So  he  called  the  bird,  and  the  lake  froze  so  he  could 
go  over. 

"  Frost  before  me,  and  Thaw  behind  me,"  he 
then  said,  and  the  ice  thawed  after  he  had  stepped 
over  it.  Finally  he  came  up  on  the  island  and  saw 
the  church. 

After  he  had  gone  in,  he  saw  a  locked  door  in 
front  of  the  pond.  When  he  tore  this  open,  the 
duck  flew  out. 

"  Fly  after,  Pursuer,"  said  the  prince,  and  Pur- 
suer flew  after  the  duck  and  caught  it.  When  the 
prince  took  the  duck  in  his  hand,  he  cut  it  open, 
took  out  the  egg  and  put  it  in  his  pocket.  When 
that  was  done,  he  went  back  the  way  he  had  come, 
left  the  birds  and  thanked  the  owners  for  the  loan. 

When  he  came  back  to  the  princess,  she  asked  : 

"  Well,  what  success  have  you  had  ?  " 

"  Oh !  it  is  just  as  it  is,"  said  the  prince. 

"  Then  have  pity  on  us,  for  the  mountain  king 
is  coming,  and  he  will  kill  you.  Hurry  away !  " 
said  she. 


THE   TWELVE  ENCHANTED   PRINCESSES.    257 

"  Oh  !  it  is  not  so  dangerous,"  said  the  prince, 
putting  his  arms  around  the  princess. 

"  Oh  !  do  not  do  so,  for  then  he  will  kill  me,  too," 
said  the  princess,  but  at  that  instant  he  came  in. 

"  I  smell  the  blood  of  a  Christian,"  said  he,  and 
caught  sight  of  the  prince.  "  Who  are  you  ?  You 
shall  die  instantly,"  roared  lie. 

"I  think  we  will  delay  that  a  little,"  replied  the 
prince,  crushing  the  egg  in  his  pocket.  Then  the 
giant  fell  on  his  knees  and  begged  and  begged  that 
his  life  might  be  spared. 

"  Bring  forward  the  other  princesses,"  said  the 
prince,  and  there  was  no  help  for  it;  but  when 
they  came  out  of  their  enchantment,  the  prince 
pinched  the  egg  so  the  giant  died. 

The  prin cesses  were  glad  at  this,  you  may  be 
sure,  and  each  one  of  them  tied  a  gold  ring  into 
the  prince's  hair. 

After  they  had  gathered  up  all  they  wished  to 
take  with  them,  they  went  down  to  the  ship,  and 
the  other  eleven  princes  were  very  much  astonished 
when  they  saw  the  twelve  beautiful  princesses. 
Just  as  they  were  ready  to  put  out  to  sea,  the 
youngest  princess  found  she  had  forgotten  her 
work-box  and  the  youngest  prince  sprang  back 
after  it.  The  brothers  wished  to  be  rid  of  him  so 
they  could  say  it  was  they  who  had  rescued  the 
princesses,  so  they  pushed  out  from  land  and  leic 
the  prince  alone  on  the  island. 


258    THE  TWELVE   ENCHANTED  PRINCESSES. 

The  prince  became  very  sad  when  lie  found  he 
was  left  alone,  and  knew  no  way  to  get  off  from 
the  island.  As  he  was  walking  along,  he  met  a 
little,  gray  old  man. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  asked  the  prince. 

"  Oh !  I  am  so  old,  so  old,"  said  the  man. 
"  But  I  will  help  you  to  get  away  from  here,  if  you 
will  do  as  I  bid  you." 

The  prince  promised  and  the  old  man  gave  him 
a  box  and  said :  "  This  is  a  wishing  box,  and  if  you 
only  wish  it,  you  can  come  to  the  palace  of  the 
princesses  in  twelve  hours,  but  the  others  will  not 
be  there  for  seven  years.  Then  you  must  serve 
as  a  scullion  in  their  palace,  but  must  never  take 
off  your  cap  till  the  right  time  comes." 

Then  the  prince  wished  himself  to  the  palace, 
and  he  was  there  before  he  knew  it,  and  there  he 
became  a  scullion. 

After  seven  years  had  gone  by,  the  twelve  prin- 
cesses and  the  eleven  princes  came  home,  and  there 
was  great  rejoicing,  and  the  wedding  preparations 
began  to  be  made. 

Then  the  youngest  princess  wished  to  sprinkle 
the  head  of  everybody  in  the  house,  before  the 
wedding  took  place,  and  this  she  did.  Then  she 
asked  if  no  one  remained,  when  they  stopped  com- 
ing in. 

u  Yes,  there  is  a  scullion  down  in  the  kitchen," 
said  the  king,  "  but  you  can  leave  him  out." 


THE  TWELVE   ENCHANTED   PRINCESSES.     259 

"No,  bring  him  here,"  said  the  princess,  and 
the  youth  came  in.  But  as  she  was  getting  the 
things  ready,  he  bent  down  and  kissed  her.  Then 
the  king  became  wrathy  over  such  insolence,  and 
said  the  scullion  should  lose  his  head. 

"  First  I  shall  sprinkle  him,"  said  the  princess. 
So  she  took  off  his  cap  and  there  she  saw  the  gold 
rings  in  his  hair. 

"  Here  is  the  right  one,"  cried  she.  "  Here  is 
my  ring !  "  And  all  the  princesses  recognized  their 
rings  again. 

"  Here  is  your  work-box,"  said  the  prince,"  tak- 
ing out  the  sewing  materials.  Then  they  all  knew 
that  this  was  the  prince  who  had  gone  through 
all  the  dangers.  So  the  king  said  to  him  : 

"  Why  did  you  not  tell  me  this  at  once  ?  " 

"  I  wished  to  see  if  they  regretted  what  they  had 
done  first,"  answered  the  prince,  "  but  they  did  not." 

"Well,  what  shall  you  do  to  punish  them?" 
asked  the  king. 

"  Oh !  each  one  may  have  his  princess,"  replied 
he,  "so  lie  can  go  home  ;  but  I  will  take  the  young- 
est one,  and  the  captain  may  have  the  ship  and  all 
that  is  in  it." 

Well,  everything  went  as  the  prince  said,  and  a 
wedding  took  place,  such  as  no  one  has  seen  before 
or  since.  But  the  youngest  pair  lived  happy  all 
their  days  and  when  the  old  king  died,  they  ruled 
over  the  whole  kingdom. 


ABOUT   A   BOY   NAMED   SAPEN.* 

ONCE  on  a  time  there  was  a  nobleman  in  the 
world,  who  was  immensely  rich,  but  so  powerfully 
stingy,  that  sometimes  he  would  hardly  eat. 

However,  he  was  going  to  give  a  party  once,  be- 
cause he  was  obliged  to  do  so,  for  he  had  been  in- 
vited to  so  many. 

Now  there  was  a  chore  boy,  who  was  called 
Sapen,  an  ill-favored  creature,  who  laid  a  wager 
with  his  master  that  he  should  go  to  the  miserly 
lord's  dinner,  too.  The  master  thought  it  was 
impossible  for  Sapen  to  get  an  invitation,  for  the 
master  knew  perfectly  well  how  miserly  the  other 
was,  so  he  laid  one  hundred  dollars  on  the  wager. 

But  Sapen  knew  well  enough  how  to  deal  with 
the  stingy  man,  as  you  shall  see.  The  party  was 
to  take  place  on  a  Sunday,  and  the  lord  was  to 
go  to  church  to  meet  his  guests. 

Then  Sapen  ran  out  on  the  road  in  front  of  him 
and  said : 

"  About  how  much  can  a  gold  piece  the  size  of 
a  roof  tile,  be  worth,  should  you  think  ?  " 

*  Pronounced  Soapen.  • 

260 


ABOUT  A  BOY  NAMED  SAPEN.       261 

"  Hush,  hush  ! "  said  the  nobleman,  "  and  come 
to  me  at  dinner  time,  and  we  will  talk  about  it." 

Well,  Siipen  was  delighted  with  this  answer, 
and  went  his  way ;  but  at  dinner  time  he  went  up 
to  the  house  of  the  miserly  man,  who  greeted  him 
and  received  him  in  his  best  manner. 

Sapen's  master  was  much  astonished  at  this,  and 
gave  him  his  hundred  dollars  and  bade  him  go 
home  ;  but  Sapen  wanted  a  good  dinner,  so  he 
staid.  He  was  allowed  to  sit  by  the  door  while 
they  were  eating,  and  that  was  not  pleasant,  but 
he  was  at  the  dinner,  anyway. 

After  they  had  eaten  till  they  were  satisfied  and 
had  got  up,  the  miserly  lord  took  Sapen  into  a 
chamber,  and  asked  him  where  he  had  the  lump 
of  gold  he  spoke  about. 

"  Oh  !  "  said  Sapen,  "  I  have  not  got  any,  you 
know;  I  only  asked  how  much  such  a  lump  could 
be  worth,  in  case  a  body  should  find  one." 


THE   GILDED  NOSE  TIP. 

THERE  was  once  a  woman  who  had  two 
daughters ;  one  was  her  own,  the  other  was  a 
step-daughter.  She  was  very  ugly  to  the  step- 
daughter, who  could  never  do  anything  to  suit 
her.  Finally  she  pushed  the  girl  into  the  pond 
one  day,  when  she  went  to  fetch  water. 

But  the  spring  led  to  an  underground  passage, 
and  the  girl  came  into  that,  and  soon  found  herself 
before  a  door  made  of  glass,  which  spoke  and  said: 

"  Open  me  very  gently  and  close  me  again  very 
softly,  so  I  will  not  break  in  pieces." 

And  the  girl  did  so. 

Then  she  came  to  an  old  fence,  which  was  nearly 
falling  to  the  ground,  and  it  said : 

"  Step  over  me  so  carefully  that  I  will  not  fall 
in  pieces." 

The  girl  stepped  over  so  carefully  that  the  fence 
was  not  even  shaken. 

When  she  had  gone  further,  she  came  to  an  oven 
full  of  bread,  and  it  said  : 

"  Eat  as  much  as  you  wish,  but  do  not  take  any 
away."  The  girl  ate,  but  did  not  take  any  away. 

262 


THE   GILDED  NOSE   TIP.  263 

Then  she  came  to  an  orchard  and  it  said : 

"  You  may  pluck  and  eat  as  much  as  you  wish, 
bat  do  not  take  anything  with  you." 

The  girl  plucked  and  ate,  but  took  nothing  with 
her. 

After  she  had  gone  further,  she  came  to  a  large 
estate,  where  they  had  a  great  many  half-starved 
kittens,  and  she  had  to  take  care  of  them.  Well, 
she  did  this  and  gave  them  food,  so  they  grew  fat 
and  handsome. 

Then  one  day  they  gave  her  a  certain  amount  of 
spinning  and  weaving  to  do,  which  she  was  to  have 
done  by  night.  The  girl  wept,  for  she  thought  it 
A\  as  impossible  to  do  it.  But  the  cats  came  and 
sat  and  spun  and  wove  with  her,  so  it  was  all  done 
by  evening. 

The  next  day  they  sent  her  to  the  brook  with 
yarn,  which  was  black  and  white ;  the  white  was 
to  be  washed  black,  and  the  black  white.  Then 
she  wept  again,  for  she  thought  it  was  impossible. 
But  the  cats  came  again  and  showed  her  the  spot 
where  the  yarn  must  be  washed  to  make  it  black 
and  to  make  it  white,  and  she  did  it  right. 

Finally,  she  was  to  have  a  casket  to  take  with 
her,  as  reward.  Then  the  cats  mewed : 

"  Take  the  yellow  one ;  take  the  yellow  one," 
and  she  did  so.  Then  they  gave  her  such  fine 
clothes  that  she  looked  like  a  princess. 

Then  she  started  on  her  journey  back  and  came 


264  THE   GILDED  NOSE   TIP. 

to  her  step-mother's  again.  The  woman  was  filled 
with  astonishment  at  sight  of  the  grand  clothes, 
and  when  she  heard  all  that  had  happened,  she 
pushed  her  own  daughter  into  the  pond. 

This  one  also  came  into  the  underground  path, 
but  she  did  not  do  as  her  half-sister  had  done  ;  but 
broke  the  glass  door,  trampled  down  the  fence, 
took  bread  with  her,  and  hid  apples  and  pears  in 
her  pockets. 

When  she  came  to  the  large  estate  she  starved 
the  kittens  worse  than  ever,  and  when  she  had  to 
weave  and  wash  the  yarn,  she  did  not  succeed  at 
all.  Finally  she  was  to  receive  her  reward  and 
go.  When  she  was  about  to  take  a  casket,  the 
cats  mewed  : 

"  Take  the  yellow  one ;  take  the  yellow  one." 

"Silence,  you  wretches,  and  let  me  choose  for 
myself,"  said  the  girl. 

And  so  she  took  the  red  casket  and  went  home, 
but  when  she  came  to  her  mother's  house  she  was 
ragged,  and  looked  just  as  dirty  as  before. 

Then  the  girls  opened  the  caskets  they  had 
received. 

"  You  may  open  yours  in  the  house,"  said  the 
woman  to  her  own  daughter. 

"  Where  may  I  open  mine  ? "  asked  the  step- 
daughter. 

"You  will  have  to  do  it  in  the  old  pig-sty,"  said 
the  woman,  and  the  step-daughter  went  out. 


THE   GILDED  NOSE  TIP.  265 

When  the  own  daughter  opened  her  casket,  hot 
flames  burst  out  so  the  cottage  caught  fire  and 
burned  down,  and  the  woman  and  her  daughter  had 
to  go  out  quicker  than  usual. 

But  when  the  step-daughter  opened  her  casket, 
there  came  out  so  much  gold  and  silver,  that  all 
the  walls  of  the  pig-sty  were  covered,  and  the  girl 
became  powerfully  rich.  When  the  step-mother 
grew  curious  and  peeped  in,  the  tip  of  her  nose 
became  gilded;  but  that  was  all  that  fell  to  her 
share. 


THE  IMPRISONED  PRINCESS. 

THERE  was  once  a  widowed  queen,  who  had  an 
only  daughter,  towards  whom  she  was  very  strict. 
Then  the  daughter  had  a  suitor,  but  as  she  was  not 
allowed  to  wed  with  him,  they  were  married  in 
secret. 

When  the  widowed  queen  found  this  out,  she 
grew  so  angry  that  she  had  the  princess  walled 
into  a  tower,  so  she  might  die  of  thirst.  But  the 
princess  was  very  devout  and  prayed  to  God,  and 
then  a  fountain  sprang  up  in  one  corner  of  the 
tower,  and  kind-hearted  people  carried  a  little  food 
to  her  which  she  took  in  through  a  crack  in  the 
door. 

Then  a  son  was  born,  and  the  princess  brought 
him  up  in  the  tower  till  he  was  seven  years  old. 
Then  she  wished  the  boy  to  go  out  into  the  world 
and  not  be  a  prisoner  all  his  days.  But  the  only 
opening  in  the  tower  was  high  up  and  he  could  not 
go  out  through  that,  for  then  he  would  have  fallen 
to  the  earth  and  been  killed.  She  dreamed  one 
night  that  she  had  a  long  rope  by  her  side,  and 

266 


THE   IMPRISONED   PRINCESS.  267 

when  she  awoke,  there  it  lay,  but  she  did  not  know 
how  or  whence  it  came  there. 

She  now  let  the  boy  down  by  the  rope,  to  the 
ground,  and  he  left  his  mother  with  tears  in  his 
eyes.  After  he  had  walked  awhile  he  met  an  old 
man  who  asked  him  why  he  wept.  The  boy  told 
him  how  badly  off  he  was,  and  the  old  man  gave 
him  a  staff,  saying,  when  he  should  strike  anything 
with  it  any  animal  he  wished  would  come  forward. 

Then  the  boy  struck  the  staff  against  a  stone 
and  wished  for  a  horse  so  small  that  he  could  climb 
up  on  his  back ;  arid  instantly  such  a  horse  stood 
before  him.  He  mounted  his  little  horse  and  rode 
a  long  time,  till  he  came  to  a  king's  house,  where 
he  entered  the  service  of  the  warden  of  the  castle. 

Here  he  lived  several  years.  One  day  his  mas- 
ter told  him  that  the  king  had  three  daughters, 
whom  he  must  give  to  three  goblins  because  in 
time  of  war  they  had  helped  him.  Now  there  was 
much  sorrow  and  lamentation  at  the  castle,  and 
the  king  said  that  he  who  could  save  the  prin- 
cesses, should  choose  one  of  them  for  his  bride. 
Then  the  young  prince  —  no  one  knew  he  was  one 
—  said  that  he  would  rescue  them  from  the  goblins. 
All  laughed  at  the  idea  of  one  who  was  a  mere 
child,  doing  such  a  thing.  But  he  persisted,  so 
they  let  him  talk  with  the  king.  He  said  he 
wished  to  fight  with  the  goblins  and  he  gained  per- 
mission to  do  so. 


268  THE   IMPRISONED    PRINCESS. 

There  was  a  large  forest  near  the  castle,  and  the 
princesses  were  to  be  left  in  that.  Now  the  eldest 
princess  rode  out  there,  and  three  courtiers  and  the 
little  prince  went  with  her.  After  they  had  ridden 
into  the  forest  a  little  distance,  they  heard  a  great 
roaring,  at  which  the  courtiers  became  so  terrified, 
that  each  one  climbed  up  in  a  tree.  But  the  prince 
struck  his  staff  against  a  stone  and  wished  that  a 
whole  lot  of  the  wildest  and  most  dreadful  beasts 
might  spring  up,  and  they  were  there  in  an  instant. 
Finally,  the  goblin  came  up,  and  he  was  frightful  to 
see,  with  his  fifteen  heads. 

As  he  strode  up  to  the  carriage  where  the  prin- 
cess sat,  the  boy  cried  to  the  beasts : 

"  Seize  him,  tear  him  in  pieces  !  " 

Then  all  the  beasts  rushed  at  the  goblin,  and  soon 
he  was  torn  to  bits,  and  the  princess  saved. 

But  the  young  prince  was  left  in  the  woods,  and 
the  princess  was  made  to  promise  that  she  would 
tell  her  father  that  the  courtiers  rescued  her. 

The  next  day  they  rode  out  with  the  second 
princess  to  the  forest,  and  there  they  met  the  little 
prince.  When  the  goblin  came  the  prince  called 
forth  his  beasts,  and  the  goblin  was  killed,  though 
he  was  both  larger  and  stronger  than  the  first.  The 
princess  had  to  promise  to  tell  her  father  the  same 
as  her  sister,  and  the  prince  was  content  to  remain 
in  the  forest. 

Lastly,  the  youngest  princess  was  sent  out,  and 


THE  IMPRISONED  PRINCESS.  289 

then  the  grief  was  greatest,  for  she  was  dearest  of 
all  to  her  parents.  But  the  courtiers,  who  had 
faith  in  the  help  of  the  little  prince,  promised  the 
king  and  queen  that  no  harm  should  come  to  her. 

It  went  as  before,  but  the  princess  drew  a  gold 
ring  from  her  hand  and  bound  it  into  the  prince's 
hair  as  a  token  of  the  help  he  had  given. 

When  they  rode  home,  the  prince  was  left  in  the 
forest,  and  the  princess  was  obliged  to  tell  her 
parents  the  same  as  her  sisters  had  said. 

The  prince  now  wished  for  a  horse,  and  when  it 
came  forth,  he  rode  to  the  king's  castle,  where  they 
were  preparing  the  wedding  of  the  princesses  and 
their  false  rescuers.  The  prince  did  not  go  in,  but 
rode  around  into  the  garden,  and  when  he  caught 
sight  of  the  princesses,  he  rode  up  and  whispered 
to  them  secretly. 

When  they  saw  the  ring  in  his  hair,  they  all 
recognized  their  preserver,  instantly,  and  burst 
into  tears.  But  the  youngest  ran  to  her  parents 
and  told  them  all  that  had  happened.  Finally  she 
said  : 

"  See,  he  wears  on  his  head  the  ring  you  gave 
me,  father.  I  bound  it  there  in  the  forest  wlu-n 
he  rescued  rne  from  the  goblin.  Can  you  doubt 
what.  I  say?" 

Then  the  prince  was  called  in,  and  he  told  the 
same  story  of  what  had  happened,  and  also  told 
who  he  was. 


270  THE  IMPRISONED   PEINCESS. 

Then  the  king  was  very  angry  at  the  courtiers, 
and  they  were  driven  out  of  the  kingdom,  but  the 
young  prince  and  princess  were  married,  and  the 
king  sent  people  to  the  tower  who  tore  it  down, 
and  released  the  mother  of  the  prince. 


THE   WATER-GOD   BY   THE   MILL. 

OXE  lovely  summer  evening  a  priest  was  riding 
along  and  was  just  going  to  cross  a  bridge  near  a 
mill,  when  he  heard  the  most  beautiful  music  he 
had  ever  heard  in  his  life.  In  order  to  hear  it 
better  he  got  off  his  horse  and  went  nearer.  Then 
he  saw  the  water-god  sitting  there  by  the  mill- 
wheel,  playing  on  his  harp.  As  the  priest  came 
nearer  the  bridge,  he  saw  two  small  creatures,  who 
were  dancing  to  the  music  of  the  harp.  But  as 
the  priest  stood  and  watched  them,  he  could  not 
keep  still  any  longer,  but  began  to  dance,  too,  and 
then  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  stop.  When  he 
had  come  up  to  the  two  pigmies,  who  were  danc- 
ing around,  he  took  hold  of  their  hands,  and  they 
swung  around  in  a  ring,  they  three.  But  after  he 
had  done  this  awhile  he  did  not  wish  to  dance  any 
longer,  but  his  power  to  stand  still  was  gone.  Then 
he  hit  on  the  plan  of  stopping  up  his  ears,  to  see 
if  he  could  stand  still.  Then  he  stopped  up  the 
ears  of  the  pigmies,  too,  and  so  they  all  stopped 
dancing,  for  they  could  not  hear  the  beautiful 

271 


272  THE   WATER-GOD   BY  THE  MILL. 

music  any  longer.  The  pigmies  sprang  into  the 
woods,  and  the  priest  saw  nothing  more  of  them ; 
but  then  the  water-god  stopped  playing,  for  when 
the  priest  rode  back  that  way,  there  was  nothing 
to  be  heard. 


THE  BEAUTIFUL  VILLAGE  MAID. 

THERE  was  once  a  hard-working  man  who  was 
married  twice,  and  the  first  time  he  had  a  boy  and 
a  girl.  The  boy  was  employed  in  the  stable  at  the 
king's  castle,  but  the  sister  remained  at  home  with 
the  step-mother,  who  was  very  cruel  to  her,  although 
the  girl  was  as  gentle  as  a  girl  could  be.  Still  the 
wicked  step-mother  hated  her,  mostly  because  she 
was  so  beautiful,  and  her  own  daughter,  on  the  con- 
trary, was  so  homely  and  hateful. 

One  day  the  step-daughter  was  sent  to  the  spring 
for  water.  There  lay  three  heads  that  were  dirty 
and  hideous.  They  said  to  the  girl : 

"  Take  us  up  and  wash  us,  and  lay  us  carefully 
back  again,  and  you  shall  have  pure  water."  The 
girl  did  as  the  heads  begged  her,  and  laid  them 
carefully  back  again. 

When  she  had  gone,  the  first  head  said  to  the 
second  one  : 

"  What  shall  we  wish  for  the  one  who  was  so 
kind  to  us  ?  " 

"  I  wish  that  she  may  be  the  most  beautiful 
maiden  in  the  world,"  said  the  first  head. 

273 


274  THE  BEAUTIFUL  VILLAGE  MAID. 

"  I  wish  that  she  may  have  a  dress  as  fine  as  the 
sun  and  stars,"  said  the  second  head. 

"  And  I  wish  that  a  gold  apple  may  fall  from 
her  mouth  every  time  she  laughs,"  said  the  third. 

Now  when  the  step-mother  saw  how  handsome 
she  was,  and  how  many  fine  things  she  had,  she 
sent  out  her  own  daughter,  too. 

When  the  girl  came  to  the  spring,  the  heads  lay 
there  as  before  and  spoke  to  her  as  to  her  sister. 
But  she  threw  her  pail  at  them,  and  ran  away. 

Then  the  heads  wished  that  she  might  be  the 
most  hideous-looking  girl  in  the  world ;  that  all 
the  clothes  she  put  on  might  look  horrid ;  and  that 
every  time  she  laughed,  a  toad  might  hop  out  of 
her  mouth  ;  and  it  all  came  to  pass. 

One  day  the  stable  boy  at  the  castle  made  a 
picture  of  his  sister  out  of  clay.  Then  the  king 
asked  him  if  he  knew  of  any  such  beautiful  maiden 
in  the  world.  The  boy  replied  that  his  sister 
looked  like  that. 

"  Bring  her  hither ;  she  shall  be  my  queen," 
said  the  king  then.  The  boy  was  given  a  ship, 
and  a  crew,  and  sailed  home  after  his  sister,  and 
the  step-mother  and  step-sister  went  back  with  him 
too. 

But  on  the  way  the  woman  pushed  her  step- 
daughter into  the  sea,  so  her  own  daughter  could  be 
queen. 

When  they  arrived,  the  king  was  down  on  the 


THE  BEAUTIFUL  VILLAGE  MAID.  275 

shore  to  receive  his  bride,  and  the  path  from  the 
beach  to  the  castle  was  carpeted  with  the  finest 
cloth,  and  the  castle  was  decorated  with  fine 
draperies  and  other  grand  things.. 

The  boy  went  below  in  the  ship  to  get  his  sister, 
but  she  was  gone.  When  the  boy  said  that  she 
had  been  pushed  into  the  sea,  the  ugly  step-mother 
and  her  daughter  denied  it,  and  the  king  believed 
them. 

He  could  not  do  otherwise  now  than  take  the 
hideous  girl  for  his  bride,  but  he  had  the  boy  cast 
into  a  snake  pit,  for  he  believed  that  he  had 
deceived  him. 

The  beautiful  maiden  was  captured  by  a  sea 
nymph  and  had  to  live  in  the  sea.  She  had  a 
dog  that  she  was  very  fond  of ;  he  was  now  at  the 
king's  castle,  arid  was  named  Saker. 

One  day  she  begged  the  sea  nymph  to  let  her 
go  up  and  pat  Saker.  She  was  told  that  she  might 
go  on  three  Thursday  evenings,  but  afterwards  she 
could  never  go  on  the  earth  again. 

In  order  that  she  might  not  run  away,  the  sea 
nymph  bound  her  foot  with  a  chain. 

When  she  came  up  to  the  castle  she  called  out: 

"  Saker,  are  you  awake  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  dog. 

"  Is  that  hideous  girl  in  the  king's  palace  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  she  is  there,"  answered  Saker. 

"  Is  my  brother  still  in  the  snake  pit  ?  " 


276  THE   BEAUTIFUL  VILLAGE  MAID. 

"  Yes  ;  he  is  still  there,"  said  the  dog. 

"  It  is  so  cold,  so  cold  on  the  bottom  of  the  sea," 
said  she  ;  but  before  she  left,  she  scoured  the 
floor  in  the  room  where  the  dog  was,  patted  his 
head,  laid  a  gold  apple  in  the  window,  and  went 
down  to  the  sea,  because  the  nymph  had  begun  to 
draw  on  the  chain. 

In  the  morning  people  wondered  who  it  was  that 
had  laid  the  gold  apple  in  the  window,  and  Saker 
was  moved  to  another  room. 

The  next  Thursday  night  the  same  thing  hap- 
pened, but  two  apples  were  laid  in  the  window. 
The  people  talked  about  what  had  happened  to 
the  king,  and  he  decided  to  watch  over  the  dog 
himself. 

The  third  Thursday  night  the  beautiful  maiden 
came  back  and  talked  in  the  same  way,  but  added 
that  she  should  never  come  again.  She  laid  three 
gold  apples  in  the  window,  and  told  the  dog  to  give 
them  to  the  king. 

The  sea  nymph  now  began  to  pull  on  the  chain, 
but  the  king  sprang  forward  and  severed  it  with 
his  magic  sword,  and  she  was  rescued.  Now  every- 
thing was  revealed,  and  the  king  took  the  beautiful 
maiden  for  his  queen,  brought  the  brother  from 
the  snake  pit,  but  cast  the  wicked  step-mother  and 
her  daughter  into  the  prison  tower. 


THE   SILVER  BOWL. 

MANY,  many  years  ago  there  lived  a  lord  and 
his  lady,  on  a  very  fine  estate.  They  had  only 
one  son,  and  he  lay  very  sick.  Then  the  mother 
went  to  a  very  wise  old  woman  who  lived  in  a 
forest,  to  ask  her  help,  but  the  woman  was  not  at 
home. 

As  the  mother  was  on  her  way  home  again,  she 
heard  some  one  scream  dreadfully  from  the  little 
pond  which  lay  beside  the  road.  When  she  went 
and  looked  in,  there  lay  a  girl  in  the  water,  and  she 
could  not  get  out. 

When  the  lady  helped  the  girl  out,  the  latter 
said  that  she  was  the  spirit  of  that  forest,  and  that 
every  day  she  changed  to  a  goose  and  bathed  in 
the  pond  ;  but  a  hunter  had  shot  her  and  wounded 
a  wing,  so  she  had  been  allowed  to  change  herself 
to  a  human  being  in  order  to  be  saved. 

Now  the  woman  told  the  wood  spirit  why  she  was 
out  in  the  forest,  and  how  sick  her  son  was.  Then 
the  spirit  gave  her  a  silver  bowl  and  said  she  must 
let  the  sick  one  drink  out  of  it. 

When  the  mother  came  home  she  gave  her  son 

277 


278  THE   SILVER   BOWL. 

some  water  to  drink  out  of  the  bowl,  and  immedi- 
ately he  became  better,  and  in  a  few  days  was 
perfectly  well  again.  The  silver  bowl  was  guarded 
as  the  dearest  treasure  in  the  wealthy  family. 

After  many,  many  years  had  gone  by,  and  a 
wedding  was  being  celebrated  (when  a  rich  earl 
married  a  daughter  of  the  house),  the  lord  of  the 
estate  had  drunk  so  much  wine  that  he  became  rash. 
He  took  the  cherished  silver  bowl  in  his  hand  and 
said  the  family  had  always  believed  that  its  pros- 
perity depended  on  the  gift  of  the  wood  nymph. 
To  prove  this  was  not  true,  he  threw  the  bowl  in 
the  sea,  which  moaned  outside  of  the  open  window. 
Then  a  sound,  like  a  deep  sigh,  passed  through 
the  room,  and  all  who  were  there  grew  suddenly 
pale-faced. 

The  same  night  while  all  were  sleeping,  there 
came  a  band  of  robbers  and  took  possession  of  the 
house.  They  burned  the  buildings,  killed  the 
people  and  carried  away  all  the  treasures.  Only 
the  master,  the  one  who  cast  the  silver  bowl  in  the 
sea,  escaped  with  his  life ;  but  his  possessions 
were  gone  and  his  reason  lost.  Day  and  night,  as 
long  as  he  lived,  he  wandered  on  the  shore,  trying 
to  find  the  silver  bowl,  but  it  lies  to  this  day  on  the 
bottom  of  the  sea. 


THE  GOAT  THAT  WOULDN'T  GO  HOME 
AT  TWILIGHT. 

THERE  was  once  a  goat  that  wouldn't  go  home 
at  twilight.  When  the  old  woman  who  had  charge 
of  him,  went  after  him  one  evening,  she  met  a 
wolf.  Then  she  said : 

"  Dear  wolf,  will  you  rend  the  goat  ?  The  goat 
will  not  go  home  at  twilight." 

"  No,"  said  the  wolf. 

When  the  woman  came  farther  along,  she  met 
a  bear. 

"  Dear  bear,"  said  she,  "  will  you  not  slay  the 
wolf  ?  The  wolf  will  not  rend  the  goat ;  the  goat 
will  not  go  home  at  twilight." 

"  No,"  said  the  bear. 

When  the  woman  came  farther  along  she  met  a 
hunter. 

"  Dear  hunter,"  said  she,  "  will  you  not  shoot 
the  bear  ?  The  bear  will  not  slay  the  wolf ;  the 
wolf  will  not  rend  the  goat ;  the  goat  will  not  go 
home  at  twilight." 

••  Xo,"  said  the  hunter. 

Then  the  woman  came  to  a  pine-tree. 

279 


280     THE    GOAT   THAT   WOULDN'T    GO   HOME. 

"  Dear  pine,"  said  she,  "  will  you  not  crush  the 
hunter  ?  The  hunter  will  not  shoot  the  bear  ;  the 
bear  will  not  slay  the  wolf;  the  wolf  will  not 
rend  the  goat ;  the  goat  will  not  go  home  at 
twilight." 

"  No,"  said  the  pine. 

Then  the  woman  came  to  a  fire. 

"  Dear  fire,"  said  she,  "  will  you  not  burn  the 
pine?  The  pine  will  not  crush  the  hunter;  the 
hunter  will  not  shoot  the  bear  ;  the  bear  will  not 
slay  the  wolf ;  the  wolf  will  not  rend  the  goat ; 
the  goat  will  not  go  home  at  twilight." 

"  No,"  said  the  fire. 

Then  the  woman  came  to  a  pond. 

"  Dear  pond,"  said  she,  "  will  you  not  quench 
the  fire  ?  The  fire  will  not  burn  the  pine ;  the 
pine  will  not  crush  the  hunter ;  the  hunter  will 
not  shoot  the  bear  ;  the  bear  will  not  slay  the 
wolf ;  the  wolf  will  not  rend  the  goat ;  the  goat 
will  not  go  home  at  twilight." 

"  No,"  said  the  pond. 

Then  the  woman  met  an  ox,  and  said : 

"  Dear  ox,  will  you  not  drink  the  pond  ?  The  pond 
will  not  quench  the  fire  ;  the  fire  will  not  burn  the 
pine ;  the  pine  will  not  crush  the  hunter ;  the 
hunter  will  not  shoot  the  bear  ;  the  bear  will  not 
slay  the  wolf ;  the  wolf  will  not  rend  the  goat ; 
the  goat  will  not  go  home  at  twilight." 

"  No,"  said  the  ox. 


THE   GOAT  THAT   WOULDN'T  GO   HOME.     281 

Then  the  woman  came  to  a  rope,  and  said : 

"  Dear  rope,  will  you  not  hang  the  ox  ?  The  ox 
will  not  drink  the  pond  ;  the  pond  will  not  quench 
the  fire  ;  the  fire  will  not  burn  the  pine ;  the  pine 
will  not  crush  the  hunter;  the  hunter  will  not 
shoot  the  bear ;  the  bear  will  not  slay  the  wolf ; 
the  wolf  will  riot  rend  the  goat ;  the  goat  will  not 
go  home  at  twilight." 

"  No,"  said  the  rope. 

Then  the  woman  met  a  rat. 

"Dear  rat,"  said  the  woman,  "  will  you  not 
gnaw  the  rope  ?  The  rope  will  not  hang  the  ox  ; 
the  ox  will  not  drink  the  pond ;  the  pond  will  not 
quench  the  fire ;  the  fire  will  not  burn  the  pine ; 
the  pine  will  not  crush  the  hunter;  the  hunter  will 
not  shoot  the  bear  ;  the  bear  will  not  slay  the 
wolf ;  the  wolf  will  not  rend  the  goat ;  the  goat 
will  not  go  home  at  twilight." 

"  No,"  said  the  rat. 

Then  the  woman  saw  a  cat. 

"  Dear  cat,"  said  she,  "  will  you  not  catch  the 
rat  ?  The  rat  will  not  gnaw  the  rope ;  the  rope 
will  not  hang  the  ox ;  the  ox  will  not  drink  the 
pond  ;  the  pond  will  not  quench  the  fire  ;  the  fire 
will  not  burn  the  pine  ;  the  pine  will  not  crush  the 
hunter ;  the  hunter  will  not  shoot  the  bear ;  the 
bear  will  not  slay  the  wolf;  the  wolf  will  not  rend 
the  goat ;  the  goat  will  not  go  home  at  twilight." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  cat,  and  tried  to  catch  the  rat; 


282     THE   GOAT   THAT    WOULDN'T    GO   HOME. 

then  the  rat  was  willing  to  gnaw  the  rope ;  the  rope 
to  hang  the  ox ;  the  ox  to  drink  the  pond  ;  the 
pond  to  quench  the  fire  ;  the  fire  to  burn  the  pine  ; 
the  pine  to  crush  the  hunter ;  the  hunter  to  shoot 
the  bear ;  the  bear  to  slay  the  wolf ;  the  wolf  to 
rend  the  goat ;  and  so  the  goat  was  glad  to  go 
home  at  twilight. 


THE  PRINCESS'S  CASKET. 

A  LONG  time  ago  —  when  trees  and  animals 
could  talk  —  there  lived  on  Ubbyf jallet,*  over  in 
Jarbo  f  parish  in  Dal,  a  giant  whose  name  was 
Grepe.  $  He  had  his  castle  in  the  middle  of  the 
mountain,  and  it  was  of  pure  gold  and  precious 
stones.  He  lived  alone,  and  he  grew  so  angry 
when  any  one  came  that  way,  that  he  threw  great 
stones  after  him,  so  no  one  dared  go  near  the  grand 
castle,  however  much  they  wished  to  do  so. 

But  one  day  Grepe  began  to  feel  lonesome,  so 
he  told  the  spruce-trees  that  grew  on  the  mountain 
that  they  must  help  him  to  get  possession  of  the 
princess  who  lived  near,  and  who  was  so  beautiful 
that  whoever  saw  her  became  charmed  with  her. 

The  spruces  promised  to  help  the  giant,  so  they 
drew  near  and  sang  so  grandly,  that  it  was  as  if 
sea  nymphs  played  on  their  harps  in  the  twilight. 
When  the  princess  heard  the  song,  she  was  so  en- 
raptured that  she  went  into  the  forest. 

Before  she  was  aware  of  it,  she  was  beside  the 
giant's  castle,  and  the  giant  came  out  and  bore  her 

*  Pronounced  Ubby-fyellet,  t  Pronounced  Y air-boo.  I  Pronounced  Gr»y-py. 
283 


284  THE  PRINCESS'S  CASKET. 

in.  He  soon  became  so  fond  of  her  that  he  could 
not  keep  his  eyes  off  of  her. 

Now  when  the  king  heard  that  the  princess  was 
gone,  he  suspected  all  that  had  happened,  and  he 
gathered  together  a  great  number  of  people  to  go  out 
and  make  war  upon  the  giant.  But  he  did  not 
succeed  in  this,  for  you  see  the  giant  threw  stones 
and  earth  around,  so  the  whole  army  was  buried, 
and  the  princess  had  to  remain  where  she  was. 

But  she  had  no  comfort  in  the  mountain,  and 
grieved  so  deeply  that  finally  she  died. 

Then  it  was  terrible  for  the  giant,  and  the  whole 
forest  sighed  and  wept.  The  giant  said,  however, 
that  he  would  bury  the  princess  more  grandly  than 
any  one  had  ever  been  buried  before. 

In  order  that  the  people  should  not  know  of  her 
casket,  he  arranged  so  that  no  one  should  see  it 
until  the  day  when  seven  brothers  who  had  never 
disagreed  should  search  for  it. 

Then  he  made  a  casket  of  purest  gold,  and 
buried  it  deep  under  his  porch.  But  now  he  did 
not  wish  to  live  longer,  so  he  went  out  and  cast 
himself  over  a  precipice  that  is  called  the  Giant's 
Cliff  to  this  day. 

After  a  long,  long  time  had  passed  by,  there 
were  seven  brothers  found  who  had  never  disa- 
greed. They  went  to  the  mountain  and  searched, 
and  got  a  glimpse  of  the  casket,  too. 

Now  they  had  nearly  drawn  up  the  casket  when 


THE  PRINCESS'S  CASKET.  285 

one  of  them  said  that  he  was  the  first  one  to  see  it, 
and  then  they  began  to  quarrel.  Like  a  flash  the 
casket  sank  down  in  the  earth  again,  and  no  one 
has  seen  it  from  that  day  to  this. 

But  the  place  where  it  lies  has  been  called  Gold 
Rose  ever  since. 


THE    BOY    WHO    CHEATED    THE    EVIL 
ONE. 

THERE  was  once  a  boy  who  was  servant  to  a 
miserly  peasant.  The  boy  had  to  work  both  early 
and  late,  but  got  very  little  food,  and  the  peasant 
scolded  him  much  and  often  besides.  The  only 
one  who  was  kind  to  him  was  the  peasant's 
daughter,  who  hid  a  nice  bit  of  food  for  him  now 
and  then,  so  at  last  they  became  fond  of  each  other ; 
but  it  was  not  possible  for  the  poor  servant  boy  to 
think  of  the  rich,  miserly  peasant's  daughter,  of 
course. 

The  peasant  had  many  peculiar  ways,  and,  be- 
sides, was  in  league  with  the  Evil  One  himself,  and 
had  been  helped  by  him  to  one  thing  and  another. 

One  day  when  the  boy  asked  for  his  pay,  the 
peasant  grew  so  angry  that  he  threw  a  bank-note 
at  him  and  said : 

"  Take  that,  and  may  the  Evil  One  take  you  !  " 
and  then  the  old  money-bags  went  into  the  house. 

But  just  as  he  had  gone,  the  Evil  One  came 
forward,  and  said  to  the  servant : 

"Will  you  not  give  yourself  into  my  power? 

286 


THE   BOY   WHO   CHEATED  THE  EVIL  ONE.     287 

You  cannot  have  it  worse  then  than  you  have  it 
now." 

The  boy  thought  a  few  minutes,  and  said : 

"  I  will  promise,  if  you  can  fill  a  stocking  with 
shining  silver  dollars  in  an  hour." 

The  Evil  One  thought  that  was  a  great  bargain, 
so  he  went  home  after  money ;  but  they  were  to 
meet  again  at  sundown  at  a  barn  out  in  the 
forest. 

The  boy  went  ahead  and  climbed  up  on  the  roof ; 
there  he  made  a  hole  in  the  straw,  and  in  the  hole 
placed  a  stocking  ;  but  he  had  cut  the  foot  off,  so  it 
was  open  right  through. 

At  the  time  agreed,  the  Evil  One  came  hurrying 
along,  so  it  roared  and  whistled  and  the  smell  of 
sulphur  filled  the  air.  And  he  began  to  pour 
money  in  the  stocking,  but  it  ran  down  into  the 
barn  ;  still  he  kept  on  a  long  time.  Finally  he 
was  obliged  to  go  home  after  more  money,  and  go 
through  the  same  operation  again.  But  when  the 
hour  was  nearly  out,  his  money  was  exhausted,  and 
the  boy  said  : 

"  Just  see  how  wicked  you  are  ;  you  cannot  do 
an  honest  deed,  once,"  and  he  threw  the  bank-note 
into  the  stocking  after  the  other  money.  Then 
the  Evil  One  had  no  more  power  over  it,  but  had 
to  go  his  way,  since  he  had  lost,  although  he  was 
wrath y,  which  is  not  surprising. 

"When  the  boy  peeped  into  the  barn,  he  saw  a 


288     THE  BOY  WHO   CHEATED  THE  EVIL   ONE. 

tremendously  high  pile  of  money,  enough  to  make 
him  a  rich  man. 

Then  he  went  and  told  the  peasant  that  he  was 
rich,  and  as  a  proof  of  it  he  took  two  fists  full  of 
silver  out  of  his  pocket  and  threw  it  on  the  table. 

Then  the  miserly  peasant  became  very  amiable, 
you  may  believe,  and  when  the  boy  asked  for  his 
daughter,  he  got  her  on  the  spot. 


THE  ASHBOY  WHO  WON  THE  PRINCESS. 

THERE  was  once  a  king  who  had  a  daughter 
whom  no  one  could  make  laugh,  no  one  could  get 
the  last  word  with,  and  no  one  could  make  to  say, 
"  That  is  not  true  !  " 

Now  the  king  sent  out  a  promise,  that  the  one 
who  could  make  her  do  all  this  should  have  her  for 
his  bride. 

A  certain  man  had  three  sons,  and  two  of  them 
were  as  fine  fellows  as  could  be  found,  but  the 
third  was  so  stupid  that  he  never  went  out,  but  sat 
all  the  time  by  the  fireplace,  so  he  got  the  name  of 
Ashboy. 

One  day  the  two  brothers  went  up  to  the  castle, 
to  see  if  they  could  win  the  princess,  and  the  Ash- 
boy  wished  to  go  with  them.  The  brothers  would 
not  agree  to  that,  but  told  him  to  stay  at  home. 
Still  he  went  with  them,  although  they  forbade 
him. 

After  he  had  gone  a  little  way,  he  found  a  dead 
magpie,  and  he  put  it  in  his  pocket. 

"  What  shall  you  do  with  that  ?  "  asked  the 
brothers. 


290      THE  ASHBOY  WHO   WON  THE  PRINCESS. 

"  It  may  be  useful  for  something,"  said  the 
Ashboy. 

After  they  had  walked  further,  he  found  an  old 
ox-horn,  a  willow  twig,  a  wedge  and  two  ragged 
shoe  soles,  and  for  each  thing  he  found  his 
brothers  asked  as  before,  and  he  replied  in  the  same 
way: 

"  It  may  be  useful  sometime." 

Both  brothers  came  to  the  castle  first,  but  they 
had  no  luck  at  all,  and  were  shown  out. 

When  the  Ashboy  came  up,  the  princess  sat  in 
her  carriage  in  the  court  yard,  and  the  carriage  was 
almost  as  light  as  a  feather.  Then  the  Ashboy 
took  the  skin  off  of  the  magpie,  cut  it  in  fine  strips, 
and  fastened  one  end  to  the  carriage  and  the  other 
end  to  the  gate,  and  then  he  set  fire  to  the 
feathers.  Now  when  they  burned,  the  skin  shrunk 
together  so  that  the  carriage  came  forward  to  the 
gate.  The  princess  thought  this  was  so  amusing 
that  she  had  to  laugh. 

"  Now  you  are  mine,"  said  the  Ashboy. 

"  You  cannot  win  me  with  that,"  said  the  princess. 

She  afterwards  took  him  to  a  room  that  was  so 
hot  one  could  hardly  breathe  there. 

"  It  is  powerfully  hot  here,"  said  the  Ashboy. 

"  It  shall  be  warmer  for  my  husband,"  said  the 
princess. 

"  Then  I  could  roast  this  magpie  in  it,"  said  the 
boy. 


THE   ASHBOY   "WHO    WON  THE  PRINCESS.      291 

"  All  the  fat  would  run  away,"  said  the  princess. 

"I  have  a  horn  to  hold  under  it,"  said  the 
Ashboy,  and  took  the  old  ox-horn  out  of  his 
pocket. 

"  That  would  crack  into  pieces,"  she  said. 

"  I  have  a  twig  to  bind  around  it,"  said  the 
Ashboy,  and  took  out  the  willow  twig. 

"  The  twig  is  too  large,"  objected  the  princess. 

"I  have  this  wedge  to  set  between,"  said  the 
boy. 

"  The  wedge  is  too  small,"  insisted  the  princess. 

"  I  have  a  shoe  sole  to  put  beside  it,"  said  the 
Ashboy,  drawing  out  one  sole  from  his  pocket. 

"  I  never  saw  the  like,"  cried  the  princess  then. 

"  Well,  here  you  have  it,"  said  the  Ashboy, 
drawing  out  the  other  sole. 

Then  she  became  speechless,  and  the  Ashboy 
said: 

"  Now  you  are  mine." 

"You  cannot  have  me  for  that,"  said  she,  and 
then  she  took  him  to  the  barnyard,  and  asked  him 
if  he  had  ever  seen  such  a  large  barn  before. 

"  Oh !  this  is  not  so  dreadfully  large,"  said  the 
boy.  "  My  parents  had  one  so  large  that  when  a 
calf  was  born  in  one  end,  he  could  not  reach  the 
other  before  he  was  an  old  ox,  and  when  the  car- 
penters who  were  building  it  dropped  an  ax  from 
the  roof  at  Michaelmas,  it  did  not  reach  the  floor 
before  the  swallows  came  back.  My  father  had  so 


292      THE   ASHBOY   WHO   WON   THE  PRINCESS. 

many  cows  that  we  milked  whole  lakes  full,  and 
so  we  harnessed  the  horses  to  churn  it,  and  made 
cheeses  as  big  as  a  potato  field.  When  I  went 
out  to  tend  the  cattle  and  took  a  slice  of  cheese 
with  me,  it  was  so  large  a  young  colt  could 
frolic  around  on  it.  But  I  took  the  colt  and 
flayed  it  alive,  and  cut  strips  from  its  hide  and 
bound  them  together,  and  crept  up  on  the  rope  to 
the  moon,  and  there  sat  your  father  and  mother 
begging  crumbs  of  bread  from  my  father  and 
mother !  " 

"  That  is  not  true,"  cried  the  princess,  because 
then  she  was  angry.  But  the  Ashboy  said  : 

"  Now  you  are  mine,"  and  so  she  was,  though 
the  Ashboy  was  considered  stupid  aud  good-for- 
nothing. 


THE   FAITHFUL  SISTER. 

IN  a  country  far  away  from  here  there  once 
lived  a  queen  who  had  twelve  sons,  but  no  daughter. 
One  day  when  she  was  out  sleighing,  she  struck 
her  hand  against  a  spike  in  the  sleigh,  so  several 
drops  of  blood  fell  on  the  snow.  Then  she  said  : 

"  If  I  only  had  a  daughter  with  cheeks  as  white 
as  snow  and  red  as  blood,  I  would  willingly  give 
all  my  sons  for  her  !  "  Instantly  an  old  woman 
came  to  the  sleigh  and  asked  if  the  queen  meant 
what  she  said.  When  she  answered  yes,  the  witch 
promised  she  should  have  her  wish. 

By  and  by  a  daughter  was  born  in  the  palace, 
and  the  same  day  the  witch  was  seen  going  back 
and  forth  in  front  of  the  windows,  and  when  she 
disappeared,  the  sons  flew  from  the  palace,  all 
changed  to  birds. 

In  the  meantime  the  daughter  grew  up  and 
became  a  most  lovely  maiden.  But  by  degrees  she 
grew  sad  and  silent,  and  when  the  queen  noticed 
it  and  asked  her  what  the  matter  was,  she  said  if 
there  was  anything  in  the  world  her  daughter 
wanted,  she  should  have  it. 
293 


294  THE   FAITHFUL   SISTER. 

The  princess  replied  that  she  did  not  want  any- 
thing especially,  but  she  felt  very  lonesome  without 
any  brothers,  as  other  girls  had.  Then  her  mother 
said  : 

"You  have  had  twelve  brothers,  but  I  gave 
them  all  away  for  you." 

The  princess  answered  : 

"  If  I  have  had  twelve  brothers,  I  will  go  out  and 
seek  them,  if  they  are  in  the  world." 

Then  she  took  all  the  things  she  and  her 
brothers  had  had  alike,  and  started  on  her  journey. 
Towards  evening  she  lay  down  under  a  tree  to 
sleep ;  then  she  dreamed  that  she  saw  two  roads, 
a  broad  one  and  a  narrow  one,  and  the  narrow  one 
led  to  a  cottage  deep  in  the  forest.  When  she 
woke  up,  she  saw  there  were  two  just  such  roads 
beside  her,  as  she  had  dreamed  of,  and  she  followed 
the  narrow  one.  Finally  she  came,  towards  even- 
ing, to  a  little  cottage,  but  no  one  was  at  home. 
But  various  things  were  lying  on  the  table,  which 
were  like  those  she  had  taken  with  her,  and  so  she 
knew  that  her  brothers  lived  here. 

Then  she  prepared  a  meal  from  what  she  found 
in  the  cottage,  set  the  table  and  laid  her  brothers' 
knives  and  forks  beside  their  plates,  and  her  own 
beside  one.  Then  she  heard  a  noise  outside  the 
cottage,  and  hid  herself  under  one  of  the  beds. 

When  the  princes,  who  had  the  forms  of  men 
again,  saw  the  table  set  and  a  new  plate,  knife  and 


THE   FAITHFUL   SISTER.  295 

fork,  just  like  their  own,  lying  on  it,  they  knew 
their  sister  was  there.  Then  the  youngest  said  : 

"  It  is  surely  our  sister  who  is  here  ;  if  we  can 
find  her,  she  shall  die,  because  it  is  she  that  brought 
us  our  misfortune." 

But  the  eldest  brother  replied  :  "  It  was  not  she, 
but  the  witch  who  had  our  mother  in  her  power. 
Our  sister  is  innocent,  so  why  should  she  die  ?  " 

When  they  found  her  there  was  great  joy, 
although  they  were  so  unhappy.  The  sister  asked 
if  there  were  no  way  in  which  she  could  rescue 
them.  There  was  only  one  way,  they  said.  She 
must  make  them  garments  of  linen  which  grew  in 
a  foreign  land  ;  but  if  she  spoke,  laughed  or  cried 
during  the  time  she  was  working  on  them,  they 
could  never  be  saved. 

The  sister  said  at  once  that  she  would  make  such 
clothes  for  them,  so  the  brothers  flew  away  to  bring 
the  linen.  She  now  worked  from  early  in  the 
morning  till  late  in  the  evening,  and  not  a  word 
passed  over  her  lips,  not  a  smile  was  seen  on  her 
face,  not  a  tear  in  her  eyes. 

One  day  it  was  so  lonesome  in  the  cottage  that 
she  went  out  into  the  forest  with  her  work.  Then 
the  young  king  of  the  land  rode  by,  and  when  he 
saw  her  he  was  so  charmed  with  her  beauty  that 
he  decided  to  make  her  his  queen,  and  so  took 
her  to  his  castle.  But  she  carried  her  work  with 
her  and  kept  on  as  before. 


296  THE   FAITHFUL   SISTER. 

Every  one  grew  fond  of  the  young  queen, 
although  she  neither  spoke,  laughed  nor  wept ;  but 
the  old  queen  was  never  kind  to  her,  and  was 
always  watching  to  do  her  harm. 

Now  when  the  young  queen  had  a  son,  the  old 
queen  had  it  killed,  and  told  the  king  that  the 
child's  mother  had  done  it.  When  the  latter  did 
not  speak  a  word  in  self-defense,  she  was  declared 
guilty  and  doomed  to  death.  The  young  king 
wept,  but  was  not  allowed  to  do  differently  by  her. 

The  same  day  that  the  queen  was  taken  out  to  be 
burned  (which  was  the  customary  fate  of  witches), 
she  finished  the  last  garment  and  took  all  with  her 
in  the  rough  cart  in  which  she  rode.  Then  the 
twelve  brothers  came  flying  and  settled  down 
around  her,  and  she  cast  over  each  one  his  garment. 
At  once  they  returned  to  their  human  forms,  and 
told  the  king  all  that  had  happened.  The  queen 
did  not  need  to  keep  silence  any  longer,  then,  and 
so  all  was  explained  about  the  child's  death.  She 
was  then  driven  back  to  the  castle  by  the  king's 
side  and  with  great  honor. 

Then  the  king  asked  his  mother : 

"  What  punishment  does  one  deserve  who  takes 
a  mother's  child,  murders  it,  and  then  charges  it  to 
the  innocent  mother,  so  she  will  be  burned  as  a 
witch?" 

The  wicked  woman  did  not  know  that  all  had 
been  discovered,  so  she  said  : 


THE  FAITHFUL   SISTER.  297 

"  She  should  be  burned." 

By  this  answer  she  sealed  her  own  fate,  and 
what  she  said  should  be  done  was  done. 

Then  the  king  celebrated  his  wedding  for  the 
second  time,  and  as  the  bride  could  now  talk  and 
laugh,  it  was  a  joyous  wedding,  and  the  joy  was 
not  a  little  due  to  the  bride's  twelve  brothers,  who 
were  the  most  stately  princes  one  could  see.  And 
the  young  pair  passed  all  their  days  in  happiness. 


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